Baby Book Phase Two
by nerdielady
Summary: Sequel to Baby Book. Spock and Nyota expand their family.
1. Chapter 1:Confirmation

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter One - Confirmation**

**Mid October, 2270**

Grayson watched mama and baba getting ready to go somewhere. Unca Jim was here to play with him while they were gone. Mama bent over and kissed him and told him to be good. Baba laid his hand briefly on top of his head and he felt that warmth fill him up. He grinned and waved at them and tugged on Unca Jim's hand. "Let's go play with the blocks, Unca Jim."

"Right you are, Grayson. And then maybe you'll show me how to work that little shuttle you got for your birthday."

"Okay, Unca Jim." This was going to be fun.

***

Nyota lay back on the biobed, one hand between Spock's, while Len ran the scanner over her body. Spock was watching the tell-tales on the wall over her head. She felt him squeeze her hand just seconds before Len let out a whoop.

"There it is, sure as daylight. Look at that!"

One would almost think that he felt responsible for what was showing up. She smiled at him.

"Now hold still, darlin' and let me get the DNA scan. Just try not to move at all for the next two minutes." He did several things with his scanner and held it steady over her abdomen.

She could hear Spock counting the time for her in the back of her mind. She concentrated on remaining perfectly still, barely breathing at all. When the two minutes was up, she let out a long sigh. And then she waited while Len checked to see what was revealed.

"Okay, Okay, you can get up. Let's go in my office and look at this." He led the way into his cramped, messy office, sweeping stacks of stuff off the two chairs on the other side of his desk. He set the medical tricorder in the dock beside his comlink and downloaded the data, then pulled up the displays he wanted. "See right here." he pointed to something on the display.

Spock leaned forward to look. "Yes, just as we told you. Female."

"Yeah, right, but this is official!"

Spock looked at Nyota with his eyebrow raised. She smothered her laughter and patted his hand. _Just let Len do it his own way, ashayam_.

"And this here." he pointed in delight.

Spock's brows drew together. "I do not understand."

"Red blood. Not nearly so many complications possible."

"Ah."

"I know you'd really like a green-blooded kid, but believe me, this is better, all-round."

"I really do not care what color the blood is, doctor, as long as the child is healthy."

"Well, this one certainly is. Not one single lethal gene in there. Everythin' looks just fine." He smiled and reached into his bottom drawer. "Shall we celebrate? Ooops, sorry beautiful, you can't have any of this."

"Doctor, I do wish you would refrain from addressing my wife in this manner." Nyota was giggling again. She squeezed his hand and promised him something ...later. His ears started to turn green. McCoy noticed and raised an eyebrow at him. He closed his mouth and said nothing.

"Okay, back here in one month - or sooner if anything just doesn't feel right. If you start heavin' up your breakfast just call Christine and she'll get you somethin', okay?"

"Yes, thank you Len. Bye now." And they were out the door, walking home. Reassured. Although he could sense health and vitality, knowing that the DNA analysis was clean was certainly good news.


	2. Chapter 2:Bad Tummy

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter two - Bad Tummy**

**Mid November, 2270**

Grayson came running as soon as Spock stepped through the door. "baba, baba, come quick, mama frow up!"

Spock hurried into the bathroom, where he found Nyota on the floor, one arm thrown across the toilet seat, her head resting on her arm. She was pale and sweaty. He quickly took a small cloth and wet it, kneeling down to gently wash her face. Grayson was leaning up against his back, worried. "Grayson, please get your mother a small glass of cool water to rinse her mouth."

"Yes, baba, I can do that." He took off as fast as he could go, into the dining alcove to get a glass. He came back, walking much slower, carefully balancing the glass, almost overflowingly full.

Spock carefully took the glass and held it for Nyota to sip from. She rinsed her mouth, spitting out the water, then took another small drink. Slowly she straightened up, then leaned back against him. "hey, sorry. It took me by surprise."

He smoothed her hair back away from her face and wrapped his arm about her, supporting. "I was hoping that this affliction would not affect you this time."

"Well, so was I. Guess we don't get our wish. Hey, little boy, thanks so much. You're mama's good helper."

Grayson wiggled around, in between his parents, patting mama's face. "Mama have a bad tummy?"

"Oh, yes, bad tummy indeed." Nyota laughed softly. After a few minutes, she sighed. "I think maybe we could get up off the floor now. Things seem a lot more settled."

Grayson scrambled back, headed for the living area. Spock carefully stood up, supporting Nyota as she rose, careful not to move too fast. He walked her to the couch and settled her down, going to fetch the blanket she often used there and tucking her up. Grayson climbed up on the couch and curled up beside her, patting her arm.

Supper was likely to be quite delayed tonight.

___________

Author's Note: Grayson has red blood and slightly pointed ears. His skin tone is half-way between Nyota's and Spock's.

Both Grayson and new baby, as well as any other babies they might have, are 3/4 human and 1/4 Vulcan. That's basic genetics. One can't be 'more' human than another. However, each pregnancy is different. Different genes are passed down, so the combination of features that is presented varies.


	3. Chapter 3:Butterflies

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter three - Butterflies**

**Mid January, 2271**

Spock glanced to the side and saw Nyota just sitting there, a wide grin on her face. Her hands lay on her console, not moving at all. He sent a small query in her direction and she turned her head in his direction, sending him a one word answer. _Butterflies_.

He was momentarily confused, and then the meaning hit home. His lips quirked up in response and he flooded her with_ love_. She turned back to her console and her fingers flicked the keys, but he could tell she was still tuned internally, and not to her console. His fingers ached to touch her and feel what she had felt, but the bridge was busy this morning and it was not possible.

***

He had a brief disciplinary meeting scheduled right after shift end, so Nyota picked up Grayson and took him home. When he walked into their quarters, Grayson was sitting on her lap and giggling. When Grayson saw him, he climbed down off the couch and came running. "Baba, baba, come feel the butterflies." Spock raised one eyebrow and looked at Nyota, who was grinning just as widely as she had on the bridge this morning. He picked up Grayson and crossed to the couch, settling down beside her.

"No, no, baba, you must lay down." Grayson was very insistent.

Spock pulled off his boots and stretched out on the couch, his head in Nyota's lap as Grayson insisted. Grayson pushed and tugged until he was satisfied. "There, baba, now you can feel the butterflies against your cheek." He wiggled in between Spock and the back of the couch, wrapping his little arms around his baba. Nyota reached down with one hand and brushed the soft wavy hair. Her other hand caressed the shiny cap of silky hair on the other head in her lap.

"Here I am with both my men. What more could I want?" She was so happy that it just bubbled out of her.

Spock lay there, content, not really expecting to feel anything. And then it happened, soft little taps against his cheek. He held his breath, exulting in the experience. He could sense the bright, shining spark that was his daughter, bursting with vitality and health. He exhaled softly and Nyota's hand brushed against his temple. _She is delightful, so bright._

_Like her mother._

Nyota smiled down at him. _Thank you, ashayam_.

Grayson wiggled. "Did you feel it, baba?"

"Yes, Grayson, I did feel the butterflies." His hand rubbed his son's back gently.

"Good, then we can go eat supper. I am very hungry." Grayson did not understand why both parents reacted the way they did. Food was important. Not as important as feeling the butterflies, but still, very important.


	4. Chapter 4:Pants

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter four - Pants**

**Mid February, 2271**

Spock glanced over to where Nyota stood in front of the mirror, frowning. His eyes traveled down her body, lingering over the rounded bulge of her abdomen. As his eyes followed the line of her uniform dress on down to the hem, he felt he understood the reason for the frown. The hem was not an even line. It dipped up noticeably in the front. As he watched, he heard her sigh. She turned and walked back to the closet, pulling her uniform back over her head and hanging it back on the hanger. She moved everything in the closet aside and hung the uniform at the very back.

From his seat on their bed, Grayson reached up to tug on his baba's sleeve. "Baba, why is mama undressing again? Is it not time to go eat breakfast?"

"Yes, Grayson, it is time to go eat breakfast. However, your mother has just discovered something. And now she must change her uniform. She will be ready in a moment." He watched as she rummaged through the closet again, bringing out a different uniform - one which she had not worn in the past two and one half years. She drew the long tunic down over her head. And then she stood there, in boots and tunic, with the trousers in her hand. She uttered a soft curse - in a language she knew her small son did not know.

Quickly he crossed the room and knelt beside her. "Let me, k'diwa." He lifted one foot and she rested one hand on his shoulder, steadying herself, as he removed the boot and set her foot back on the floor. The other boot followed. Then he reached up and took the trousers from her, unsealing the front. He spread them open and held them there as she stepped in, then drew them up to her hips. She took the waistband from his grasp and pulled the trousers up the rest of the way, sealing the front. Then she manipulated the sides, adjusting the fit from the larger expansion that had been necessary the last time she wore this garment. When she was finished, he drew her boots back on, tucking the trouser legs in for her.

"Thank you, ashayam." Her hand brushed against him as he rose. "I'm ready now."

Seeing his mother fully dressed, Grayson began to bounce on the bed. ''Breakfast? Breakfast now?"

"Yes, little boy, breakfast now. Come on." She held out her hand and Grayson clambered down to the floor and came running to join hands. Then he was headed for the door, tugging her along.

Spock followed, admiring the view he was getting, his lips quirked up. Why she thought she was unattractive in pants, he had no idea.

***

When they entered the mess hall, there was a sudden hush and then a rush of whispering. Well, everyone would certainly know their secret now. Not that it would have been possible to hide any longer, anyway. And not that it had really been possible to keep it with the way their son had been telling everyone. But until she changed her uniform, most others were really not certain. She just wasn't looking forward to all the questions.

She put Grayson's breakfast on her tray along with hers and carried it out to the table they usually ate at. Spock lifted Grayson up and settled down beside him, as she set the food off onto the table. She handed the empty tray to Spock and he stacked it under his. It wasn't two minutes before the other side of the table was full. Jim settled down on her other side, bending just slightly in her direction. "Just continue to eat your breakfast. We'll keep the gossipers away."

She was so grateful she was almost in tears. Weren't friends wonderful?


	5. Chapter 5:Can You See Them?

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter five - Can You See Them?**

**Early April, 2271**

Spock could hear Grayson giggling even before he was completely through the door. He wondered what was entertaining him. He moved through the apartment, coming to stop at the bedroom door. Nyota was standing by the closet, one hand leaning on the wall. Grayson was seated on the floor at her feet, giggling. While he watched, Grayson leaned over and patted one of Nyota's feet. "Here it is mama." he was still giggling.

"Are you sure? I can't see it." Nyota was grinning widely.

"Yes, yes, mama, it's right here."

"Is the other one there, too?"

Grayson rolled over on the floor, laughing so hard he was holding his tummy. "Yes, yes, mama, they are both there."

Spock leaned on the door frame, watching his wife tease their son. He remembered all too well how she had complained during her first pregnancy about her 'missing' feet. She must have sensed him, because she turned her head in his direction.

"Ah, Grayson, here's your baba. Perhaps he can help you." Her eyes were dancing, sparkling at him.

"Baba, baba, come and tell mama that her feet are still here." Grayson got up off the floor and ran to him, wrapping his arms around Spock's knees. Careful, both not to fall over and not to step on his son, Spock crossed the room to stand beside his wife.

"Yes, both of your feet are still there, as you well know."

"But I can't see them. They have completely disappeared."

Grayson let out another whoop of laughter and his whole body shook.

"Invisible feet. Hardly likely." He raised one eyebrow at her, his lips quirked up. Grayson chortled happily, still clinging to his legs. "Is there some particular reason that you are concerned?"

"Well, I did want to put on some shoes before I went to eat supper, but I just can't seem to find any feet to put them on."

"Perhaps I can help with that. Which shoes did you have in mind?"

"The little black ones. Yes, those." She nodded when he held up the shoes in question. He knelt at her feet and slid first one, and then the other shoe, onto her feet. He paused, pressing one finger into the flesh of her ankle.

"Your ankles are a bit swollen. You should tell McCoy."

"Yes, yes, I'll see him tomorrow." She straightened up, pressing one hand into the small of her back. "And now I'm going to pee before we leave." She turned and headed for the bathroom.

Grayson looked up at his father. "Baba, she already peed twice since we've been home."

"Yes, Grayson, I'm sure that she did." He looked down at his son. "Your new sister is sitting on her bladder and squeezing it very small."

"Oh. Can she not tell her not to do that? It must be uncomfortable."

Spock suppressed the grin that threatened to break out on his face. "I am sure that it is, however, the baby will not listen. So you must be prepared for your mother to need to pee very often until after your baby sister is born."

"How many more days, baba? I want to see her."

"At least sixty more days, Grayson. Perhaps longer. We shall just have to wait until she is ready."

Grayson nodded. That was more days than he could count. He needed to learn more numbers. And then mama came out of the bathroom and said she was ready to eat, so they headed out, mama's hand tucked into baba's elbow, and his hand holding fast to baba's other hand. This way, no one would get lost.


	6. Chapter 6:Just Checking Up

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter six - Just Checking Up**

**Mid May, 2271**

Spock heard the chime of the comlink and crossed the room, leaning over the desk to press the 'accept'. "Spock here." The screen filled with a familiar image - the office in his father's home on New Vulcan.

"Greetings my son. I hope this is a convenient time."

Spock seated himself before the screen. "Indeed. We have just returned from supper and have nothing else planned for the evening. It is good to hear from you, father."

Another face appeared next to his father's on the screen. "Good evening, then, would be the appropriate greeting, would it not?" Selek's lined face smiled at him.

"Yes, it would. Good evening, Selek. I trust you are well? And events there? Is everything progressing as planned?"

"Everything here is progressing excellently. We are both in good health. And at your end?" The question hung in the air, both men waiting expectantly for the answer.

Almost Spock smiled at them. He did allow his lips to quirk up at the corners. "Things are progressing well here also. Excuse me for a moment." He rose from the chair and stepped around the corner, into the playroom. He could see Nyota in Grayson's room, ready to change their son into his pajamas. "Nyota. Please bring Grayson in to the comlink before you change his clothes. We have a call."

She looked up in surprise. "A call? From whom?"

He grinned at her. "Two men who cannot wait for the promised female child to arrive."

She giggled. "This is the third time in two weeks that they have called. Have they forgotten how to count?"

"I do not believe that is the answer." He stopped as his son came careening in his direction and grabbed him around the knees.

"Sa'mekh'al?"

"Yes, Grayson. Go and say hello." He watched his son charge into the other room and clamber up on the chair, chattering excitedly. Nyota straightened up, her hand in the small of her back, and slowly crossed the room.

"I'm getting much more awkward every day. I think I need to bring a chair in here. It's getting very difficult to get up off his bed."

"I will attend to that after the call is completed." He brushed the side of her face with his fingertips. "Are you tired, k'diwa?"

"Not any more than usual." She leaned on him, slipping one arm around his waist, pulling his free hand down with her other hand. "Your daughter is _very_ active tonight, though."

He splayed his hand out over her abdomen, enchanted by the pokes and kicks he felt. "I need another picture." He whispered into her ear. She grinned at him, and then started slowly back into the other room. When she got to the desk where the comlink sat, Grayson hurried to climb down so that she could seat herself. Spock brought another chair over and put it close to her, sitting down and lifting Grayson onto his knees. She was already speaking with the two men on the other side of the screen.

"Yes, I'm doing fine. Just like I was five days ago. And this little one is doing fine as well. And won't be here for several weeks yet." She was smiling and rubbing her abdomen. "She is quite vigorous in her exercise, however."

"You are getting sufficient sleep? I do remember that Amanda said it was difficult to sleep during the last weeks." Sarek looked concerned.

"Yes, I'm sleeping well. If she wants to play too much at night, Spock tells her that it's time to sleep."

Selek tilted his head in a very familiar action. "Indeed. She does respond to suggestion already?"

Spock nodded. "Yes. I discovered that during Nyota's pregnancy with Grayson. Very, very gentle feelings of sleepiness seem to produce the desired effect. I am extremely careful."

Both of the other men nodded. "Interesting."

Nyota leaned forward a little. "You do not have to keep checking up on me. I assure you that we will let you know as soon as our daughter is born. We wouldn't keep that event from you." She smiled widely at them. "Not that I mind talking to the two of you at all."

The two older men looked slightly flustered. Both struggled to keep their faces impassive - and failed miserably. "We are...concerned..about..your health." Sarek tried to find a suitable explanation.

Selek nodded in agreement. "Indeed. And that of the small female as well." He paused and then continued. "Have you decided on a name yet?" He looked almost wistful.

"We will not divulge her name until she arrives. You will just have to wait, like everyone else." She was adamant about that.

Spock met the others' eyes and just shook his head. It would do them no good to ask, she would not tell. The others sighed. They truly wanted to know. He looked at Nyota and saw that she was beginning to droop. She needed to be on the couch, with her feet propped up. "I am sorry to draw this conversation to a close, but I am afraid that it is Grayson's bedtime and Nyota needs to sit where her feet can be elevated or her ankles will be swollen tomorrow."

Nyota gave him a small look of irritation and then sighed. "You are quite right. I have been on my feet far too much today. And look, Grayson is almost asleep already." In truth, he was probably entirely asleep, leaning back against his father's warmth. "Until the next time then." And she blew kisses to the two men on the other end of the call, who reacted with slight blushes and warm eyes.

Spock reached over and clicked off the comlink, then lifted his son to his shoulder and headed for his bedroom. "I will wrestle him into his pajamas. I will be back in a moment." He quickly changed his son's clothing and tucked him into bed. Then he returned to assist Nyota to the couch, propping her feet up on a large pillow and tucking her favorite blanket around her. Then he settled down beside her for their usual evening talk.


	7. Chapter 7:False Alarm

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter seven - False Alarm**

**Late May, 2271**

"Spock!"

He ran for the bathroom. She was leaning against the counter, one hand cupped under her abdomen. Immediately he was beside her, one arm around her, supporting. She leaned into him, panting. She should not be panting yet. "Breathe, Nyota."

"Muscle cramp. Hurts like hell."

"Where?" his free hand hovered over her abdomen, not knowing where she needed assistance.

"Left side, waist high." she moaned.

His hand gently caressed her side, quickly finding the hard knot of muscle. Carefully he began to massage the tightly clenched tissue, trying to work out the cramp. She moaned and trembled against him. "Would it be easier if you sat?"

"Can't move. Hurts." There were tears on her cheeks.

He brought his free hand to her face, touching lightly. "Give me your pain, k'diwa. Let it go." He spoke softly into her ear. She trembled, then exhaled, almost shaking. He ran his fingers down the side of her face, gently pulling her head against his shoulder. Then he went back to gently kneading the knotted muscle in her side. When it felt as though he had most of the tension relieved, he carefully bent enough to slide his arm behind her knees and carried her to the bed, sitting her on the edge. He knelt beside her, concerned.

"Has this happened before?"

"Not like this. I've had some little cramps in my feet and calves."

"Have you reported this to McCoy?"

"It wasn't that bad." She sighed. "I know. I have been illogical."

"He cannot treat what he does not know about."

She sighed. "You are right. Of course, you are. I just don't want him to think I'm a big crybaby."

"Do you have an appointment today?"

"Yes, this morning. I'll tell him. I promise."

"And now you must rest. Until the reaction to the pain has subsided. I will bring your breakfast, please stay here until then." She mumbled at him, halfway asleep again already. He stood and carefully lifted her and laid her back down on the bed, drawing the covers over her. He dimmed the lights and stepped out of the bedroom, going to wake Grayson and dress him for breakfast.

___________

Author's Note: As there have been a number of questions about Grayson's appearance, I thought I would give a list of chapters where you can read about his hair, ears, eyes, skin tone, eyebrows and strength: "Something Good", "Baby Book" chapters 6, 12, 14, 16, 20, 31, 44, and 59.


	8. Chapter 8:Better Take It Now

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eight - Better Take it Now**

**Early June, 2271**

She sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing something on her swollen abdomen. It smelled like almonds. Curious, he sat down beside her. "What are you doing, Nyota?"

"I'm trying to keep from getting any more stretch marks. My poor tummy looks like a zebra already." She held the small container out to him for examination.

"Please allow me." he took a small amount of the soft cream on the ends of his fingers and began to rub it gently into her skin. Beneath his gentle touches, he could feel his daughter's exuberant movements. "She seems to enjoy this." He tilted his head so that he could observe Nyota's face.

"She's been very active ever since I got up. Didn't you feel her in the shower?"

"Indeed I did." He paused, looking at his wife even closer before continuing. "She did collide with a most sensitive portion of my anatomy." His lips quirked up.

"I was afraid that she had." A deep sigh followed. "She is _so _active. And then she stretches. Like this. Uh!" She pushed with the heel of her hand just under her bottom rib. "It feels like she's trying to break my ribs."

He moved his hand and felt the hard little heel, pressing hard, trying to straighten the tiny body out. "She is running out of room. It will not be long now, k'diwa."

"No, it won't." She was quiet a moment, then looked at him. "If you want a picture, you better take it now. You might not get many more chances."

He nodded, and then moved quickly, retrieving the small camera. He extended the new tripod with a quick gesture and fixed the camera atop it, setting it at the foot of the bed. With gentle care, he lifted Nyota and sat her against the pillows at the head of the bed. Then he went to the dresser and came back, carrying the soft shawl he had purchased for her the same day they had found the cradle that even now sat beside the bed, ready. He draped it softly about her shoulders, and she folded her arms over the top of the bulge that was their daughter. He pulled the coverlet up to cover her legs, tucking it in on each side, so that all that was exposed was that lovely brown bulge.

He moved back to the camera, checked that it was focused exactly the way he required. He detached the small remote and moved back to the head of the bed. He knelt there beside her, his face bent, focused entirely on what was exposed. One pale hand splayed itself over that bulge, cupping lovingly to help support that weight. One of her hands descended, fingers weaving through his. He lifted his face to hers, saw the lovely glow there. He clicked the small remote to capture that look, that love.

He would never understand how he had become so fortunate. But he would treasure every moment of this life. Every single moment.

And then the tender moment was burst asunder as their son came running in. "Mama, baba. Good morning!" He clambered up on the bed on the other side of Nyota and joined his hand to theirs. "Is my sister playing?"

He could not help it. The remote clicked again. This picture was wonderful as well.


	9. Chapter 9:Early in the Morning, As Usual

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Nine - Early in the Morning, As Usual**

**12 June, 2271 (Monday)**

She needed to pee, very very badly. She pushed herself up on her elbow and flipped the covers back. Behind her, Spock mumbled. "Pee." He settled back, moving his arm off her abdomen so that she could get up. She levered herself erect and swung her legs off the bed. She really hated to leave that nice warm cocoon, however, her bladder was extremely insistent.

She walked carefully across the room and into the bathroom and took care of business. Oh, that felt so much better. She was halfway back to the bed when it hit her. She froze in her tracks, making some small noise. Spock was instantly alert, rising up and turning in her direction. At the look on her face, he was out of bed and wrapping his arms around her, supporting her. "Breathe, Nyota." His voice was soft in her ear. She leaned against him and concentrated. In, out, in, out. Slow and even.

When the contraction ended, Spock carefully guided her back to the bed and she sat on the edge, hanging on to him. He knelt down in front of her, watching her face. "Was that the first?"

"Yes."

"It was much stronger than the first contraction you had with Grayson."

"You can say that again." At the puzzled look on his face, she grinned. "That meant, emphatically yes."

He nodded. "Do you wish to lay back down? Or would you be more comfortable on the couch?"

She considered. "I think on the couch. I'm not sure I want to keep levering myself up and down."

He spoke quickly to the computer, turning the lights up dimly, and went into the other room. She could hear him moving about. She was sure he was placing pillows, moving the blanket she left there, adjusting the large pillow she used for a foot rest. When he returned, he picked her up and carried her to the couch, settling her down and covering her up, tucking her in. And then he settled down beside her, one arm over the back of the couch behind her head, so that she could lean against his shoulder. The other hand he splayed across her abdomen. "She is quiet."

"Yes. Remember, Grayson was as well."

"Yes. That did concern me, until McCoy assured me that this was common."

She felt it starting again and concentrated on her breathing. In, out, in, out, slow and even. She felt him there, his warmth encircling her, his presence in the back of her mind, counting out the seconds. Too many seconds for this early. Too soon. What had the interval been? Surely not long.

"Nyota. There was less than three minutes between those two contractions. This interval is much shorter than occurred with Grayson."

"Well, they say that labor gets shorter every time. I guess they're right."

He was quiet, but she knew he was thinking. "Should I call McCoy?"

"In the middle of the night? Oh, Spock, let the poor man sleep. Surely it's going to be hours yet." She did not think that he agreed with her, but he was silent.

They sat there quietly, just being close, until the next one hit. She gasped, unprepared for the intensity. And he was there, soothing. "Give me the pain, k'diwa. Give it to me. Breathe, Nyota."

And she did, opening up to him, letting him take the pain away, concentrating on relaxing and breathing. And when it was over, she did not protest when he spoke aloud. "Computer, call McCoy, audio only." It seemed things were going to go much faster this time.

"What the fuck? It's the middle of the goddamn night! Whoever this is you better have the worst emergency ever!" That was certainly Len. She grinned.

"Spock here."

Before he could even utter another word, they could hear rustling bedclothes and feet thumping on the floor. "How long are they lastin' and how far apart?"

"Her contractions are 2.5 minutes apart with a duration of 30 seconds."

"Dammit man, why didn't you call me sooner? She ought to be in sick bay by now."

"There have only been three contractions, doctor."

"Holy shit! Things are happening fast this time. Just stay put. I'll send a team after her. Bring Grayson down to Pediatrics. I'll meet you there. Why is it always in the middle of the night? Why?"

She almost laughed as the comm clicked off, but another contraction was starting and she concentrated on breathing instead.

The medical team was at their door in less than four minutes, waiting calmly until her next contraction passed before starting to move her. As soon as they had her on the gurney, webbing in place, Spock bent over her and ran his fingers down the side of her face. "I will awaken Grayson and bring him down to Pediatrics. I will be with you in just a few minutes. Do not worry."

"I'm not worried. I can feel you, counting." She smiled at him. "You're going to be a father again in a very short time."

"Indeed." His lips quirked up. "I am quite well aware of that." He felt the hitch in her breathing and flooded her with reassurance, soothing her so that she breathed calmly and evenly. Then he straightened up and they whisked her out the door, practically running the gurney down the corridor.

He turned and went to the closet, pulling out a long-sleeved shirt. Sick bay was much too cool for the short-sleeved tee he had on. Pulling the shirt over his head, he stuck his feet into the first pair of shoes he encountered and headed for his son's bedroom. He bent over, touching Grayson's face softly. "You must wake up, my son."

Grayson turned his face sleepily to his father. "Baba?"

"Mama is on her way to sick bay. It is time for your sister to be born. I must take you to Pediatrics so that I can be with her." He scooped the sleepy child up and cradled him against his chest and Grayson snuggled down, almost asleep again.

"Baba?"

"Yes, my son."

"Will you come and tell me when my sister gets here?"

"Yes, Grayson, indeed I will. But you must sleep in the meantime."

"Yes, baba." And he turned his face against his father's neck and drifted back off, not even waking when Spock laid him down in the bed in Pediatrics.

Spock stood in the door of the room that had been indicated to him by the nurse in the outer room, watching them as they prepared her, draping her with sterile cloths, carefully removing her clothing, slipping a gown over her head. He waited until they were finished before moving, but one of the nurses came at him before he took two steps, holding up a sterile gown. He slid his arms in and turned about, so that she could fasten the seals. She then pointed to the small sink on the wall and he went and washed, following the directions posted on the wall above the sink.

Then he turned and moved to the side of the biobed, ready to assist Nyota in whatever way she needed. He looked at the bed and cocked his head. It was not quite right. He turned to the nurse standing there. "The head of the bed should be elevated another seven degrees. This angle is not comfortable for her."

The nurse stared at him blankly. McCoy came up behind her and glared. "He gave you an order. Take care of it."

"But doctor, I don't know how to adjust it by degrees."

"Then adjust it until he tells you it's right. Use some sense."

She hurried to do just that. When Spock was satisfied that Nyota's back was properly supported, he sat on the stool that had been shoved beside the head of the bed. He took the glass of ice chips someone put in his hand and slipped one into Nyota's mouth, feeling her hum of welcome. It would not do for her to become dehydrated. McCoy was on the rolling stool, there between Nyota's knees, checking things. And here was another contraction. He held her hand while she struggled to breathe evenly. "Do not pant yet. It is not time."

"On the contrary, I think that it is time. Just let her do what feels right."

Strange, that comment coming from McCoy. But if he said she should pant, then he would encourage her to do just that. But then her hands clenched down hard on his and she turned red in the face and was panting, hard. McCoy's head jerked up and he looked right at Spock. "She's fully dilated already! This is going almost too fast!" Then his attention was redirected to Nyota.

Spock shifted his position so that she could grasp his hands more easily. He braced himself so that she could push against him as hard as she desired. Through their bond he soothed her, offering release from pain and tension. She panted now, the contraction easing. Her head lolled back and her muscles relaxed. The nurse leaned over and wiped her face with a damp cloth and Nyota smiled, thanking her. And then the next one hit and she was pushing against his hands, hard. This one was longer, almost a minute. This was certainly faster than Grayson's birth had been. He began to have some fears that she would suffer injury.

As if in response to his errant thought, McCoy muttered softly. "Try to get her to relax just a minute. I need to do a couple of things to be sure she doesn't tear something."

He sent waves of love and calm at her, soothing, relaxing, pulling the pain away so that she did not feel it, did not tense up. She lay there, panting, gradually relaxing and breathing deeper. When McCoy sat back and gave a deep sigh, he knew that the danger was past. When the next contraction came, she pushed hard against his hands again. And then McCoy gave a little crow of excitement. "Black hair again, but I'm sure that's what you expected."

It would not be long then. He braced himself, knowing what was coming now. And he was right. One contraction after another, with barely a break between. Her strength was remarkable. His hands would surely bear bruises, but he did not mind at all. And then she tucked her chin down and gave a deep groan as she pushed, and McCoy grabbed and reached for the suction tube the nurse had in her hand, ready, and in only a few seconds he heard a thin wail.

"Come on, darlin', just another big push or two and it's all over. Let's get this precious little one all the way out."

And she took a deep breath and bore down, hard, clasping his hands so tightly that perhaps she cut off the circulation. And then McCoy was rising up and laying their daughter down on her abdomen. Covered in secretions and streaked here and there with blood, she was nevertheless beautiful. She struggled mightily, her arms and legs flailing in the air, her lungs issuing loud protests over the treatment she had been given. Both parents stared in awe at that wonderful being they had produced. McCoy pressed something into his hand and he looked down. Ah, the cord, yes. He carefully applied the clamps and touched the small tool to the fleshy tube, searing it.

McCoy went back to his attentions to what remained to be done, one hand massaging Nyota's lower belly. Neither parent paid him any attention. The nurse came and gently wiped off the small face and wrapped her in a soft blanket, laying her in Nyota's arms. The little one quieted, happier now that she was warm. Spock reached out with one long finger and laid in gently against her cheek. She rolled her face in that direction and closed her mouth about his fingertip, sucking. Nyota laughed at the expression on his face. "Isn't she beautiful, Spock?"

"Indeed she is. She greatly resembles her mother." His voice was soft, low-pitched, resonant.

"But she didn't get those ears from me. And I don't think my eyebrows turn up at the ends like that, either."

His lips quirked at the ends. "She does resemble her brother to a considerable extent." he looked at Nyota. "Shall I go and fetch him? Or would you prefer to rest longer first?"

"Oh, go and get him now. Let him see her. And then you can take him and bathe and dress him and get his breakfast and take him to the day care center before you come back to see me before you report to the bridge." she was almost out of breath by the time she finished her long sentence.

He looked at her, surprised. "I had not intended to report to the bridge this morning."

She laughed at him. "Of course you will. You have to tell everyone about her. They'll never forgive you if you don't."

McCoy was nodding his head in agreement.

That was the way it would be then. He leaned over and kissed Nyota softly and headed off to Pediatrics to get his son.

He knelt beside the bed and touched Grayson gently. His son rolled over and opened his eyes. When he saw his father's face there so close, he jumped up. "Baba, baba, is she here? Is my sister here?"

"Indeed she is. Are you ready to go and meet her?"

"Oh, yes, baba, yes!" Grayson grabbed onto him, holding tight to his shirt and he wrapped one arm around him, rising and heading back towards the room containing the two women of the family. When they reached the door, he stopped, giving Grayson a chance to take in the whole room. He heard the gasp, felt the happiness pouring out.

He moved to the bedside and sat down, moving Grayson onto his knee. The little boy leaned forward, putting his hands on the edge of the biobed. He sighed. "Oh, baba, mama, she is beautiful.'

Nyota looked at her son's precarious position. "Spock, why don't you take our daughter so that Grayson can see her close up without falling on the floor?"

He reached up carefully and slipped his arm under the small pink bundle, cradling her against his arm. He sat back, the baby laying on his left arm, her head nestled in the crook of his elbow. Grayson settled back down on his right knee, and he wound his arm around his son's waist. Grayson leaned over his sister, reaching out with one small finger to touch her cheek softly. "Hello, Amanda. I'm Grayson, your big brother."

Both parents looked up in shock. Their eyes met over their children's heads. Spock looked down at Grayson and spoke gently to him. "Grayson, why did you call your sister Amanda?"

Grayson looked at him puzzled. "Because that's her name. She told me so." And there was no arguing with that. Amanda it was.


	10. Chapter 10:Taking Amanda Home

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ten - Taking Amanda Home**

**Mid June, 2271 **

Grayson was so excited that he could hardly sit still. He bounced up and down and wiggled. Spock looked at him in amusement. "Just a little patience, my son."

"But today is the day we get to bring mama and Amanda home, baba. How can I be patient?"

"That event will come no sooner because of your bouncing and wiggling." He was having a hard time preventing a smile from appearing on his face, but he was working hard at it.

Grayson sat still long enough for his hair to be brushed and then he was off again, checking everything. The new pink blanket was laid on top of the cradle. Diapers were stacked near the changing table. Mama's favorite blanket was folded on the table beside the couch. All the toys were picked up off the floor and arranged neatly in the toybox. And in the stasis unit was a small plate containing one perfect slice of cheesecake, covered in blueberry sauce.

"baba, baba, everything is ready. Can we not go and get mama and Amanda now?"

Spock looked down at his eager son. "We must wait for sick bay to call us and us that she is ready to be released, Grayson. I have told you this five times already."

Grayson hung his head. "Yes, baba." He trudged forlornly about the room. "But I am ready for them to come home NOW."

Taking pity on his son, and admitting to himself that he was ready as well, Spock walked over to the comlink and had his hand raised to activate it when the message chime sounded. Immediately he pressed the button and replied "Spock here."

The screen filled with a McCoy's face. "I have two lovely ladies here who are ready to come home. I don't suppose you could spare a few minutes to come and get them."

Grayson was jumping up and down between Spock and the desk. "McCoy, McCoy, we are coming! We will be there in 2.5 minutes!"

McCoy burst out into laughter. "Right. Of course you will. See you then." He did not comment on the smile on Spock's face as he was too busy wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

Spock scooped up Grayson and sat him on his hip and took off at a fast pace for sick bay.

***

They arrived at sick bay to find Nyota already seated in an autochair, a blanket tucked about her and a pink bundle in her arms. Grayson wiggled and squirmed to be put down and ran over, throwing his arms about his mother's knees. "Mama, mama, you're coming home!"

"Yes, I am, little boy. Right now." She reached out to tousle his hair. "Have you been good for baba?"

"Yes, mama, I even picked up all my toys all by myself."

"That's wonderful! I'm proud of you. Be careful now, you don't want to wake Amanda up before we get home."

Grayson straightened up carefully and peered into the bundle Nyota carried, trying to see his sister's face. She turned back the blanket some so that the sleeping infant was more visible. Grayson gave a soft sound of approval and reached with one finger to gently touch his sister's cheek. "Pretty Amanda."

"Yes, she is, and now let's take her home."

Grayson nodded and turned to grab his father's hand. "Home, baba, let's all go home."

Spock was only too ready to comply. He did not much enjoy being the center of attention. Everyone in sick bay was watching them. He would have gladly pushed the autochair himself, but the orderly assigned to that duty had no intention of relinquishing it. So he contented himself with walking by her side and keeping an eye on his over-excited son.

When they reached their quarters, he bent and retrieved his sleeping daughter from her mother and carried her inside, Nyota's hand tucked into the crook of his elbow. He thanked the orderly and closed the door. Alone at last.

He had thought that Nyota would either sit down on the couch or go to the bedroom, but instead she walked over to the desk and carefully sat down. His mouth was open to ask what she intended when it became clear to him. He quirked up his lips and moved to stand near her, just out of range of the camera pickup.

Grayson came running to stand beside his mother, face turned up toward the screen. "Are we calling sa'mehk'al now, mama?"

"Yes, Grayson, that is exactly what we are doing. Be quiet now, until I have the connection." Her fingers danced along the keys and suddenly there was an image, there on the screen.

Sarek looked out at them, his eyes taking in Nyota and Grayson, both with smiling faces. He realized from the background that they were in their quarters. His eyes scanned around. Without any of the normal formalities, entirely skipping any calm Vulcan greetings, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Where are you hiding her?"

Nyota burst into laughter, Grayson beside her jumping up and down and giggling. "Baba, baba, bring my baby sister here so that sa'mekh'al can see her."

Spock moved a step closer to Nyota and bent over, laying the small pink bundle in her lap. She turned the blanket back away from the baby's face, revealing her to the camera. When she looked up again, there were two faces in the screen, looking forward intently.

"Isn't she beautiful, sa'mehk'al? Toz'ot'al Selek? Isn't she?" Grayson was beaming at them. Spock brought another chair around the desk and seated himself beside Nyota, lifting Grayson up onto his knees.

"Indeed she is, Grayson. A very beautiful little sister." Two pairs of eyes were glued to the newest member of the family.

"Quite lovely indeed. She does bear a marked resemblance to her mother." This was the other watcher, the one who looked even older than Grayson's grandfather. "Her coloring and appearance are remarkably similar to Grayson. It is surprising how the genetics have played out."

Spock acknowledged their statements. "We have been exceptionally fortunate in that respect. So many things that could have gone wrong have not." The others nodded, agreeing.

Grayson leaned over and touched his sister's cheek, just as her eyes opened. "Amanda, say hello to sa'mekh'al Sarek and toz'ot'al Selek."

The tiny girl stretched and yawned. And then she turned her face to the screen as though she understood every word. She stared straight at the two men watching her for several seconds before screwing up her face and letting out a loud yowl.

Both men jerked back in consternation. Nyota smothered a smile. "I fear she is wet and hungry now. I will let you men talk while I go take care of her." She started to rise and felt Spock's strong arm assisting her and she smiled down at him as she turned and went into the bedroom.

It took only a few minutes to change Amanda's diaper and settle down on the bed with her. The little mouth gaped wide when she smelled her mother and she nursed lustily, her little fist pushing against the breast. She was slowing down, almost finished, when Grayson came tiptoeing in. He stood there, watching in astonishment, as his sister completed her meal and drifted off into sleep, little bubbles of milk in the corners of her mouth.

Nyota drew back and pulled her shirt down, leaving Amanda there on the bed, her mouth still working a bit as she moved further into sleep. Grayson watched his sister carefully and then whispered "Is she asleep now?"

Nyota whispered back, "Yes, she is."

Grayson tiptoed back out to the other room and came back, dragging Spock by the hand. "She's asleep, baba, put her in the cradle."

Spock carefully lifted her up and laid her in the cradle, covering her with the soft pink blanket. Then he covered his dozing wife and turned back to see his son, laying on the floor beside the cradle, sleeping as well. He stood there for a moment, looking at the treasures of his life, all sleeping there before him. It was a good day. He was highly content.


	11. Chapter 11:Calling Africa

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eleven - Calling Africa**

**Mid June, 2271 **

Grayson woke up in his own bed. He didn't remember falling asleep. He got up off his bed and went into the bathroom. When he was finished, he washed his hands. He looked in the mirror. Better brush his hair, too. It was sticking out all over.

He clambered down off the stairs and headed for the living area. There was mama, sitting on the couch. Where was baba? Ah, there he was, making tea. He hurried over to mama and hugged her knees. She rubbed his shoulders and ruffled his hair slightly. "Did you have a good nap, Grayson?"

"Yes, mama. But I don't remember getting in my bed. How did I get there?"

Baba brought mama her cup of tea and handed it to her. "You fell asleep on the floor beside your sister's cradle. I picked you up and carried you to your bed."

"Oh. Thank you, baba."

"It was my pleasure, Grayson." baba patted him gently before he turned away to get his own cup of tea. He came and sat down beside mama. "When do you wish to call your parents?"

"Next time she wakes up, I think. They're going to be so excited. There are so many boys in the family and not very many girls."

"More than in my family." baba's eyes twinkled.

Mama laughed. "It doesn't take many to beat none."

Grayson enjoyed listening to his parents make each other laugh, but right now he had something else on his mind. While they were talking, he tiptoed across the room and into his parent's bedroom. He sat down on the floor beside the cradle and watched his sleeping sister. She was almost as pretty as Jilly. She had curls in her hair, more than he did, but not as many as Jilly. He knew her eyes were as dark as his and mama's and baba's. Her ears had little points on them, like his, not as big as the points on baba's ears. Carefully he laid his hand down next to her face. Yes, her skin was the same color as his. Darker than baba's and lighter than mama's. She was very much like he was. For some reason he did not understand, this made him very happy. He sat and thought about it. They were like mama and they were like baba - and they were like each other. People who looked at them could tell they belonged together. That must be what made him happy - belonging.

He sat there quietly, not touching her, just watching. When her eyes fluttered open, he almost held his breath. He did not want mama and baba to think that he had woken her. He moved his face down, so that he was looking right in her eyes. She blinked at him and he saw her working to make her eyes focus. She stared right at him. Slowly he smiled at her. She blinked again. She made a tiny little noise. She wasn't crying, but it was not a word, either. He did not know what that noise meant. Perhaps he ought to go tell mama.

But then, there was baba, coming through the door. Grayson sat up quickly. "I did not wake her, baba."

"I know you didn't, Grayson. She has awakened because her diaper is wet."

"Oh." Grayson watched as baba picked Amanda up out of her cradle and carried her to the changing table. He made quick work of the diaper change, and then wrapped her up in a dry blanket. He settled her across his left shoulder and headed into the living area.

"Come, Grayson. We are going to call your mother's parents in Africa now."

Grayson ran happily after baba. He loved to talk to his babu and bibi in Africa. He saw that baba had already put the chairs in front of the comlink. Mama was sitting there, her pretty shawl around her shoulders. He ran up and stood beside her, leaning on her knees. Baba sat down in the other chair. Now he could touch both parents. Mama's hands flew over the keys of the comlink and Grayson waited eagerly for the words to disappear and the pictures to come. There on the screen was his bibi. "Bibi, bibi, hello. Guess what I have to show you?"

His grandmother smiled widely and turned her head over her shoulder. "Alhamisi, come quickly. The children from space are calling us."

Grayson heard his mother laughing behind him. His bibi was funny. There came babu, hurrying. He sat down beside bibi, smiling as well.

"Hello, hello. How is everyone? Is that our new granddaughter? Oh, let us see, please."

Baba took Amanda down off his shoulder and handed her to mama, who opened up the pink blanket and turned her around so she faced the camera. "mama, baba, binti."

Grayson watched his babu and bibi exclaim over his new sister. They talked to each other in kiswahili. He tried to understand the words, but he did not know all of them. But one thing he did understand. "mama, they want to know her name."

"Yes, Grayson. I will tell them." She waited until the first enthusiasm had died down before speaking. "We had a name all picked out, but we got a little surprise. When Grayson first saw her, he said she had told him what her name was." Her parents looked surprised. She waited just a bit, and then continued. "So she has two names. Amanda Damisi."

Grayson knew that word and it described his sister perfectly. It was a very good second name for her. He smiled up at mama and mama smiled back at him. His sister was smiling at him, too. He turned his head and discovered that baba's lips were quirked up. Everyone was smiling! It was a happy day.

________

Damisi - happy

Babu - grandfather

Bibi - grandmother

Binti - my daughter


	12. Chapter 12:Bedtime

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twelve - Bedtime**

**Late June, 2271 **

Grayson came running into the living area, clutching his favorite fuzzy and his favorite story book. He was already wearing his pajamas. Quickly he scrambled up onto the couch and snuggled up against his mother, who had his baby sister in her other arm. Amanda was nursing lustily, smacking and making tiny little noises. Grayson giggled at her as he settled down, laying the book open on his mother's knee. "Story time, mama."

"Yes, indeed it is. And I see you have your favorite story book."

"Yes. Amanda will like this one."

"I'm afraid she's a bit young for stories yet, but that's a good thought, little boy." She wrapped her free arm around his shoulder and drew him closer to her as she started to repeat the story - one she had memorized long ago.

Spock came in from the children's part of the apartment, obviously moving much slower than Grayson had. He settled down on the couch on the other side of Grayson, laying his arm across the top of the couch and resting his hand gently against Nyota's shoulder. She turned her face toward him and smiled, never stopping with the recitation of the story.

When she got to the part when the hero made his famous declaration, she stopped and allowed Spock to pick up the lines. Grayson wiggled and giggled, happy to hear his parents entertaining him. The conversation in the story was very funny and mama and baba used such silly voices. He laughed so loud that Amanda reared back and looked at him. He clapped his hands over his mouth and sat quietly, waiting for her to settle down. He looked up at mama to see whether she was mad, but she just smiled and continued with the story.

By the time the story was finished, Amanda was sound asleep. Mama moved her just a bit and pulled her shirt back down. Baba got up and carefully took the sleeping baby and carried her to the cradle. Grayson followed, helping to tuck the soft blanket about her. He tiptoed back out of his parent's bedroom. Suddenly a question occurred to him. "Baba, when is Amanda going to sleep in her own bedroom?"

"When she is a bit older and does not need to be nourished so often during the night. For the current time, it is much simpler to have her near your mother at night."

Grayson nodded. That made sense. He went back to his mother and got a big hug and a kiss, and then turned, yawning towards his father. "Baba, I am ready to be tucked in as well."

Baba lifted him up against his shoulder, much as he had carried Amanda, and headed for his bedroom. Those big warm hands drew the blankets up and settled them around him. He pulled his fuzzy close and closed his eyes. Having a baby sister was very nice, but he didn't think Jilly was going to be able to play with her for a long time. He should have specified that he wanted her to be older.


	13. Chapter 13:How Did He Know?

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirteen - How Did He Know?**

**Early July, 2271 **

Spock sat before the comlink, gathering his thoughts. He had closed the door to the bedroom and also the door to the playroom. So the other members of the family should continue to sleep while he made his call. Nevertheless, he would keep his voice low. He keyed in the familiar address and waited for the call to be completed. In a very short time, his father's face appeared on the viewscreen before him. Sarek looked very faintly concerned. "Spock. I did not expect a call at this hour. I...hope..nothing is...wrong."

"No, sa-mekh, there is nothing wrong. However, there is something I wish to discuss with you. Something that I could not discuss with Grayson awake."

Sarek nodded. "I did think there might be something more to your statements recently." He knew exactly what the call was about.

Spock was not sure exactly how to proceed. Perhaps just telling what had happened was best. "When Nyota went into labor, I took Grayson to the Pediatrics ward of sick bay. They have cared for him before...when it was necessary. This is part of their function." He watched to be sure his father understood. "After we had welcomed our daughter, I went down the hall to fetch him to meet her as well. I sat down on a chair beside the biobed where Nyota lay and took our daughter from her, holding her in my left arm. Grayson was seated on my right knee, with my right arm about his waist. He leaned over and laid one finger gently on her cheek and then he said these exact words - Hello, Amanda. I'm Grayson, your big brother."

Sarek started visibly. "He said these words _immediately_?"

"That is correct. There was no time lapse at all. Nyota and I were both astonished. This was not anticipated."

"And I take it from what you are saying that that was not the name that had been chosen. I did think it a bit..odd."

"No it was not. I did not think it fair to choose two names in succession from my family. We had chosen an African name for her, the name we are using as her second name."

"A name chosen to match her personality, I believe."

"Yes. From the very beginning, she has radiated intense happiness. Even Grayson remarked on it." He hesitated and then continued. "I hope that you do not mind that she has been given this name."

Sarek looked back at him, unblinking. "Why should I mind?"

"I would not wish it to cause...discomfort to you."

"No, Spock, it does not. It might even be ...comforting." After that uncharacteristic comment, he was quiet.

Spock nodded, not sure what to say next.

Both men sat quietly for a moment, thinking. Then Sarek spoke again. "Had you discussed names in front of Grayson? Could he have heard you - or anyone else - debating about the choice of name?"

"No, we kept our discussions for the hours after he was asleep. Although perhaps it is possible that some one of our friends had made mention of the name. And he does _know_ it." Spock gave a tiny sigh. "The most perplexing part of the problem is his assertion that _she_ told it to him."

"Can you tell me his exact words on this?"

"Because that's her name. She told me so."

"That seems to be extremely clear and unequivocal. And quite strange. Infants are not capable of intelligent conversation. Have you questioned him about this?" Sarek cocked his head, waiting for an answer.

"I have tried, very gently, to get more information. I have not wished to make a 'deal' out of it, as Jim would say. I did also talk to McCoy briefly about this and he advised caution in approaching the subject."

"There could not have been any other time when he came into contact with her?"

"No. He was sleeping in another room. There was no chance that he could have seen or touched her until I sat down in that chair." Spock's eyes unfocused slightly. "However, there was one incident."

Sarek looked at his son. "What incident?"

"Shortly before Grayson was born, I took a picture of Nyota. A picture of our child within her, for remembrance." Spock looked just slightly uncomfortable, but Sarek made no comment. "Only a few days before Amanda was born, I took a similar picture. My hand and Nyota's were linked together, supporting our child. And then Grayson ran into the room, having just awoken, and climbed onto the bed, slipping his hand underneath ours, against Nyota's skin."

Sarek was thinking hard. "What position was the fetus in at this point?"

"She was head down already. She did stay that way until her birth."

"So her head would have been right where he put his hand?"

Spook cocked his head, his eyes slightly unfocused. "Yes, I believe so. Do you think there could have been some transference then?"

"It seems unlikely, but I cannot think of anything else. However, this would imply that she actually knew what her name was and that it was a name, two things I find difficult to believe."

"We have also found it difficult." Spock hung his head, breathing deeply. "I did attempt to monitor her, only once, to see whether there was anything...unusual. I was extremely careful. But all that I could detect were the usual concerns….dislike of wet diapers, concern over an empty stomach, happiness at being held….the things to be expected from an infant of that age. Not even a very strong sense of self yet." Now he shook his head. "I cannot explain it at all, sa'mekh. Not at all."

"Nor can I, sa-fu, nothing that I am aware of can explain this. It is most puzzling."

"It would appear, then, that this is a problem we cannot solve from the facts that we know. I thank you for your help, sa'mekh."

"Do not hesitate to call me whenever I can be of assistance, Spock. I shall always be available to you."

Spock nodded, his throat tight. There was much unspoken in those words. He cut the connection and flicked the control to turn the viewscreen off. He opened the door to the playroom and listened. Only his son's even breathing could be heard. He crossed back to the bedroom door and eased it open, stepping carefully past the cradle to slide back into bed beside Nyota. She murmured softly in her sleep and nestled up against his warmth, never actually waking up. He would tell her of the call tomorrow. Perhaps some day they would have an explanation.


	14. Chapter 14:Walkabout

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fourteen - Walkabout**

**Mid July, 2271 **

Nyota was ready for a walk. Over-ready. And this was the perfect day for it. She pulled a long loose tunic on over her tank and work-out pants and slipped her feet into comfortable shoes. She opened the bottom drawer in the dresser and dug down, finding the bright cloth that she had used to carry Grayson when he was a baby. Humming to herself, she laid the cloth out on the bed, ready.

Amanda was laying in her cradle, tummy full, mostly asleep. When Nyota scooped her up, she made some funny little noises, but settled right down when she was tucked into the folds of cloth and nestled against her mother. By the time they were at the doors to the turbolift, she was sound asleep.

Nyota roamed the ship. She went down to engineering and chatted with Scotty, who was delighted to see the newest member of their family. She went across the ship to walk among the ferns and flowers and ran into Sulu, who tried to get her to sit down and play cards for a while, but she was having too much fun just being out and walking around.

She stopped by her own department and showed her daughter off to her staff, who oohed and aahed and didn't get any work done at all until she left. But she didn't complain.

And then she stopped by the science lab and showed her off again, and, as the boss wasn't there, the science lab staff were just as excited as her own had been. She didn't stay there as long, not wanting to cause any sort of friction at all.

She popped her head into Susan's office and sat down for a few minutes to sample the latest in blueberry muffins, pronouncing them absolutely delicious. She even let Susan hold Amanda while she stuffed her face.

She spent a while in sick bay, getting fussed over almost as much as Amanda did. While she was there, she confirmed her checkup appointment in two weeks. She would get her clearance to start back to work then. She was and wasn't looking forward to that.

And then she headed for the turbolift and took it all the way up, exiting onto the bridge shortly before shift-end. Jim jumped up out of the command chair and escorted her right over, making her sit down - and incidentally, making her feel very strange. She didn't belong in the command chair. But everyone else on the bridge crowded around to see the new baby and she didn't have time to worry about it.

And then she felt a very warm hand on the back of her neck, and she relaxed and smiled even more. And when it was time to leave, he undid the elaborate knot she had tied and took up the bright cloth containing their daughter and tied it about himself, just as he had done the first time she had visited the bridge with their son. With one hand cradling their daughter's body to his chest, and the other resting lightly against the small of her back, he guided her to the turbolift. "Did you enjoy your walkabout?"

"Very much. Shall we go and surprise Grayson?"

"He will be expecting me. But he will not be expecting you - nor his sister." his lips were quirked up at the corners. "His face will be very excited."

"Yes, and the rest of him, too!"

And she was absolutely correct. Their son practically bounced up and down, he was so excited. And he dragged them around the room, showing her off to everyone. And wanted to take her to the mess hall, as well, until she woke up and started fussing. "Oh, mama, she's wet. You must take her home immediately and give her a dry diaper."

"Yes, Grayson, that's what I'm going to do. You and baba go and fetch supper, okay?" she was laughing at his exuberance. She took the kanga back from Spock and, after he had checked to be sure it was securely fastened, headed back to their quarters. It had definitely been a good walkabout.


	15. Chapter 15:Checkup

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifteen - Checkup**

**Late July, 2271 **

Nyota tucked Amanda into the kanga and set off down the corridor toward sick bay. Today was checkup day. Spock had given her a very long sultry look this morning before heading out with Grayson. She felt warm just thinking about it. And he had no idea about the arrangements she had made, other than the fact that she had told him he would not need to pick Grayson up in the evening. She chuckled to herself.

She stepped through the wide entry into sick bay and was immediately surrounded. It was several minutes before she was ushered into one of the examining rooms. The nurse pulled the restraints up over the small exam table against the back wall and she lifted Amanda out of the kanga and laid her down. The baby kept on sleeping without even making a protesting sound. Then the nurse handed her the standard exam gown and said she had several minutes yet before the doctor would be available.

When the nurse closed the door behind her, Nyota quickly stripped down and folded her clothes on the chair, pulling the skimpy gown on and sealing it up. Then she sat on the end of the biobed, watching her daughter sleep, until the soft tap came on the door. "Come on in, I'm as decent as this gown lets me be."

Bones came in, chuckling. "How are you doin' today, dollface? Ready to get your 'home-free' pass?"

"More than ready, as I'm sure you know. And missing that crew on the bridge more than seems possible. It's going to be so hard to leave her in day care, but I'm truly going to go crazy if I have to stay cooped up in quarters any longer."

"Well, let's get this done then and set you free." Suddenly all business, he helped her lay back and pulled out the stirrups. The nurse slipped back through the door and came and put up the drapes, and then stood off to the side, ready to hand him whatever instruments he might need.

The exam took little time, and then they were helping her sit up. "Everything's just fine, darlin'. You are hereby cleared to go back to work. Oh, and back to entertainin' that pointy-eared hobgoblin, too." Len grinned at her. "Which I'm definitely sure he'll be glad to hear."

"Hush, Len. Do you have any idea how green he'd turn if he heard you talking like that?"

"Pretty much, yes." A wide grin split his face. "And now it's time to give that little girl the once over." He turned his back and the nurse pulled the curtain around her so that she could redress while he started running his tricorder over the sleeping infant.

When she was dressed again, she crossed the small room to stand by his side. "She's as healthy a baby as I've ever seen. Even gives Grayson a run for the money. You do make good babies, girl."

She grinned back at him. "Why you old flatterer, you. Is she getting shots today?"

"Of course she is. You know that." He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "And I suppose you want some of those soothers for her, don't you?" His eyes twinkled.

"Just one or two." She smirked at him.

"How come Spock didn't come with you today? I was kind of expectin' him."

"Jim pulled him off into some stupid meeting with no notice. He's always doing stuff like that. It's just Jim. Spock wasn't very happy about it at all."

About that time, Amanda woke up. Seeing the strange face leaning over her, she let out a yowl. But the doctor's soft drawl and gentle hands soon had her quiet again. He ran his hands over her body, now that she was awake, looked in her ears and nose and mouth, confusing her. And then surprised Nyota by efficiently providing her with a dry diaper. He picked her up and cuddled her against his shoulder for a moment before passing her over. "I think she's hungry. I can hear that little tummy. Just settle down in that chair over there and take your time. Be sure and set up her next appointment before you leave." He passed the baby, now starting to fuss, over to her mother.

"Okay, Len, will do." She sat down and cradled her daughter next to her, pulling up her shirt to give her access. And then she sat there, winding soft curls around her finger, while her daughter nursed.

***

When Spock came through the door into their quarters that evening, the first thing he noticed was that the shower was running. He stepped into the bedroom and saw that the spot beside the bed where the cradle normally was, was empty. He turned and went toward the playroom, glancing in. There was the cradle, Amanda sucking lustily on one of those soothers from sick bay. And no Grayson. He cocked his head, a smirk slowly growing on his face. It did not take him long to join her where she waited for him.


	16. Chapter 16:Sleepover

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixteen - Sleep-over**

**Late July, 2271 **

Grayson was so excited that he could hardly sit still. He was going home with Joey tonight - to spend the whole night! Joey sat beside him, patting him on the shoulder and grinning. Miss Betty watched the two happy little boys and smiled. When Joey's parents came to get them, she reminded Grayson that he should be on his best behavior while he was visiting.

"Yes, Miss Betty. Mama told me to be very good. She said if I was very good that some night Joey could come and spend the night with me." Grayson stood tall and straight now, trying to be the best behaved he knew how to be. He took Joey's hand and they walked down the corridor beside Joey's daddy. Joey's mommy had Joey's baby brother balanced on her hip. He was almost a year old now and had been crawling around the day care center all day. Grayson thought he ought to be tired, but he was still wide awake.

When they got to the mess hall, Joey's mommy sat down at a table and Joey's daddy told the two boys to sit there beside her while he went to get the food. Grayson wondered what he would get for them, but he didn't ask. That would not be polite. Soon Joey's daddy came off the serving line with a tray covered with dishes. He set the try down on the other side of the table and handed Joey's mommy a soy dog, which she gave to Joey's baby brother. Then he took two plates and put them in front of Joey and Grayson. Macaroni and cheese! And peanut butter cookies! Grayson and Joey looked at each other and grinned widely. This was a good supper. Grayson was very careful not to spill or drop any of his food.

When everyone had finished eating, Joey's daddy picked up all the dishes and stacked them on the tray and carried it to the busing station. Then he came back and picked up Joey's baby brother, who was starting to fall asleep. He nestled the little one against his shoulder and the whole family started out the door. They were almost out of the mess hall when they encountered Dr McCoy. "Hey, Grayson. Where are your parents?"

"I am having a sleep-over tonight, Dr McCoy. I am going home with Joey." Grayson grinned his excitement.

McCoy looked very funny then. He looked at Joey's mommy. "And when was this arrangement made?"

"Oh, Nyota and I set this up last week. I thought she might like some free time this evening." Joey's mommy grinned at the doctor.

McCoy grinned back and shook his head. "Always glad to see people helping each other out." Then he went on into the mess hall.

Grayson wasn't entirely sure what that conversation had been about, but he was too excited about going to Joey's house to try to figure it out. The two boys held hands and walked down the corridor, heading for Joey's family's quarters. This was a corridor that Grayson didn't remember being on before. They came to the door and Joey's mommy tapped the touch plate. The door swooshed open and they all went in. Joey's mommy took Joey's baby brother and went into another room with him. Joey tugged on Grayson's hand and led him around a corner and into a small room. This must be Joey's bedroom. Grayson looked around. This apartment was not laid out like the one his family lived in, at all. Joey's bedroom was smaller that his was. But there were some toys on the floor and the bed that Grayson had not seen before. The two boys settled down on the floor and Joey showed him how the toys worked. They played together for some time until Grayson realized that he needed to go. Where was Joey's bathroom? "Joey, Joey, I need to go."

Joey jumped up and tugged on Grayson's hand. "In here, Grayson." He led Grayson into a very small bathroom that did not have a bathtub or shower in it. Grayson thought that was very strange. And there were no stairs. How was he supposed to reach? Joey reached over between the wall and the toilet and pulled over a little stool, putting in in front of the toilet. Oh, that was like the pediatrics department. Okay. Grayson stepped up on the little stool and emptied his bladder, just like his baba had taught him. Then he flushed the toilet and put the seat down, like his mama insisted. Next he pulled the little stool over to the sink and stepped up and washed his hands. Joey handed him a small towel and he dried his hands while Joey put the little stool back where it had been. Then Joey showed him where to hang up the towel.

Back they went to Joey's bedroom to play some more. It was not long until Joey's mommy came and told them they must get ready for bed. She took off Grayson's clothes and handed him a pair of his own pajamas. Grayson saw a small duffle sitting on the dresser. Mama or baba must have brought it over here. Was there a fuzzy in it? Just then, Joey's mommy reached into the duffel and brought out his favorite fuzzy, the one with the long pointed ears. Grayson grinned and hugged it tight.

Joey's mommy sent both boys back to the bathroom before she tucked them into the bed. "Now don't you boys stay up giggling at each other. You must be quiet and go to sleep." She gave them each a kiss and turned out the lights. Grayson and Joey looked at each other and started to giggle. They held their hands over their mouths, trying to be quiet. But Joey's mother heard them anyway. She stuck her head back through the door and looked at them. "Hush, you two. Go to sleep."

The two little boys hugged their fuzzies and closed their eyes. In only a few minutes they were sound asleep.


	17. Chapter 17:Back to work

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventeen - Back to Work**

**Late July, 2271 **

Nyota wrapped the kanga about her body and tied it securely. She nestled the sleeping baby down in side and turned toward the living area. Spock and Grayson stood in the doorway, waiting for her. "Ready to go eat breakfast, guys?"

Grayson nodded emphatically. Spock reached down and picked him up, settling him on his left hip. Then he turned and headed for the door to the corridor. She followed after. Spock waited until she stood beside him in the corridor and then laid his right hand softly against the small of her back. She could feel the warmth there as they walked down the corridor.

When they walked into the mess hall, she could see faces turning in their direction. Pavel and Sasha waved at them and she smiled in return. Maybe they would eat their breakfast there. Spock took two trays and laid them on the rails, indicating that she should start down the line in front of him. He put silverware on the trays and pushed on the second one, moving them down the line. She put her own breakfast on the first tray and Grayson's on the second, letting Spock pick his own food. Although she did pay attention to what he put on his plate. For a logical Vulcan, occasionally the food he picked for breakfast was just...strange. She picked up her tray and headed toward the table where Pavel and Sasha sat. When she got there, Pavel reached up and took her tray, setting it down on the table for her. Sliding her left arm under Amanda's sleeping body, she carefully sat down. On the other side of the table, Sasha had retrieved Grayson from Spock and was setting him down in the chair next to her. Spock sat on the other side. Grayson was so excited to be eating breakfast with their friends that he had to be reminded several times to stop talking and eat.

When they were finishing and stacking the trays and dishes, Sasha came around the table and peeked at Amanda. "She is so beautiful. It must be hard to leave her in day care and go back to work."

"Yes, it is, but I was getting pretty tired of just sitting around all day. It's going to be nice to be back at my own console, doing the work I love." She still had mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Spock took the trays to the busing station and Grayson took her hand. They exited to the corridor and started for the Day Care area. They walked past the school rooms, then came to the toddler section, where they left Grayson. He hugged both of them and ran over to the sandbox, where several of his friends were already hard at work on a complicated tower. The next section was the Infant section and they were met at the door by Miss Suzy, who ran this section. They had made all the arrangements last week after Amanda's checkup and they had a bed all ready for her. Nyota lifted her out and laid her down, then untied the kanga, folded it, and laid it over the end of the bed. She took the two bottles of breast milk that she had prepared out of the folds of the kanga and handed them to Miss Suzy to put in the stasis unit. She might not always be able to leave the bridge and run down here when Amanda got hungry.

She straightened up, trying not to cry. It was really hard to leave her here, even harder than it had been to leave Grayson. Through their link, she felt Spock's comfort and concern, and she tried a little harder to be brave. She turned and walked back out to the corridor, headed for the turbolift. Spock did not say anything until the turbolift doors had closed, and then he reached over and pulled her against him. "She will be fine. They will call us immediately if there is any problem. And we will sense it even sooner." He bent his face down and brushed his lips against her face. "Peace, k'diwa."

"I'm trying, Spock, I really am. It's just very hard today. It will get easier." She sighed softly and then straightened up, ready to be her own professional self. The doors to the turbolift opened and she stepped out onto the bridge. She crossed to her station and sat down, Spock only an arms-length away. This was her place. And it was very good to be back here. In the back of her mind, she could feel Spock, and there, beside him, the faint, sleeping presence of their daughter and the gleeful energy of their son. All was right with her world.


	18. Chapter 18:Little Pink Clothes

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighteen - Little Pink Clothes**

**Mid Aug, 2271 **

Nyota was sitting at her console, idly watching the arm wrestling match going on over the helmsman's console. The captain was sure to lose this time. Really, she didn't understand how this sort of thing still happened. You would have thought that all these men would have matured by now. On the other hand, it did serve to relieve the tedium and make one forget the downright danger of being on patrol in a starship. When the message chime sounded, she absently accepted the call, only realizing after the ensign started chattering in her ear that this was a personal call. "Wait, wait, what did you say?"

"There is a crate here in the transporter bay for Amanda Damisi Uhura. I don't know who that is. Since it's the same last name as yours, I thought you might know."

"Yes, indeed I do. She's my daughter."

"Oh. Well, she's not listed on the crew."

"Of course she isn't. She's only six weeks old."

"Hm. Well, when are you coming to get this crate? It's kind of in the way."

"Someone will be down to get it shortly. Just don't be surprise at who shows up." Before the ensign could respond, she cut him off. She turned her head and looked right into Spock's puzzled face. Before he could ask her what that had been about, she told him. "Looks like we got another box of baby things from Africa. And as usual, mama has messed up the address. She sent it to Amanda Damisi Uhura."

Spock's eyebrows rose high on his forehead. "Surely she knows that is not the correct form of her name."

Nyota shrugged. "What can I say. After all, this is the woman who refers to us as 'the children from space'."

Spock's lips quirked. "That is indeed true. Shall I go and pick up the crate? It will be shift-end in ten minutes."

"Yes, please. It's in the transporter bay. That's all the direction I got."

Spock nodded and rose from his chair, stopping briefly beside the command chair to inform Kirk that he was leaving the bridge. She watched him as he crossed to the turbolift, admiring his long legs and trim behind. She just wouldn't ever get tired of watching him.

When her relief arrived, she headed for the day care center. Stopping first to get Grayson, she then went into the next room and gathered up Amanda, wrapping the kanga about her and tucking her sleeping daughter in carefully. Taking Grayson's hand, she started for their quarters.

They got there just as Spock was coming down the corridor, the large crate hanging from a carry-strap. Grayson goggled at it. "What's that, mama?"

"Well, we'll just have to open it up and see, won't we?" Grayson nodded enthusiastically.

She tapped the touchplate and held the button down, keeping the door open so that Spock could pass through. Grayson went running after him and she followed behind, going to lay Amanda down in the cradle before joining her men in the play room, where Spock had set the crate. Grayson was running all around it, trying to figure out what it was. She grinned at him and told Spock to go ahead and open it up. Grayson was so eager to see what was in the crate that he wiggled in between the crate and his father, causing Spock to stop and tell him to move back. She smothered a giggle and sat down on the floor, calling Grayson over to sit on her lap.

Spock unsealed the top of the crate and lifted it off, setting it to one side. Then he removed the packing material from the top and set that on the crate top. Then he stopped and looked at her, his eyes dancing. "The last crate contained many blue things. This one appears to be all pink."

She giggled. That did sound like her mother.

Spock began to lift things out of the craft and hand them to her. Little pink socks. Little pink tee shirts with ruffles on the bottoms of the sleeves. Little pink skirts, very impractical. Little pink overalls. Little pink nightgowns printed with kittens and puppies. Little pink blankets. Little pink rattles. She was laughing hopelessly by now and Spock was having a hard time keeping his face straight as well. Grayson didn't understand what was so funny.

"Does she not believe that little girls wear any other color but pink?"

"I don't know. Some yellow or lavender or aqua would have been nice, too. Or even mint green or white. So much pink!"

There were piles of little pink clothes all over the floor. Grayson was looking around with his mouth agape. "Mama, where did bibi find all these pink clothes?"

"I imagine she and your aunts went shopping at every store in town that sold baby girls' clothing. They must have had a really great day."

And then Spock did chuckle. She waited to see what had caused that kind of reaction from him. Slowly he lifted it out of the crate. A new infant carrier - in bright pink. She held her middle and laughed until tears rolled out of her eyes. Grayson looked from one parent to the other in astonishment. And then, from under the infant carrier came the last item in the crate - a new mobile, one with a pink hoop and pink animals in ballerina outfits dangling down. She laid on the floor and whooped, totally overcome. She was going to have to have a word with her mother. There was enough pink here to last Amanda for years!


	19. Chapter 19:Pretty in Pink

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Nineteen - Pretty in Pink**

**mid August, 2271 **

Nyota was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the new mobile. Amanda was laying in the middle of the bed, out of the way of the work about to be done. Spock had his small toolkit open on the floor beside the cradle and Grayson was hovering over it, eager to see what his baba was going to do.

Nyota handed Spock the clamp that went on the cradle rail and he pulled a piece of soft, thin insulation out of his tool kit and quickly trimmed it to fit over the rail. He took Grayson's hand and showed him how to hold the very edge of the insulation at the bottom of the rail. When Grayson's fingers were in the correct place, he took the clamp and slid it down over the rail. When it touched the tips of Grayson's fingers, he told him to let go and slid it down the last small bit. Then he tightened it up carefully. He applied force in several different directions and then tightened it just a bit more.

Nyota handed him the tall, curved, flexible wand next. Carefully he fitted it into the slot on top of the clamp and tightened the screw there until the wand was held securely, the curved part over the head of the cradle. Now Nyota passed over the large hoop and the center of that was laid into the hook on the end of the wand. Spock flipped the small clasp shut and then lightly touched the hoop, making it wiggle and jiggle. Grayson watched in awe.

Nyota took the small pink animals wearing pink net ballerina skirts one at a time and threaded the ends of the strings through the holes in the hoop, tying the ends in big fat knots. As she continued to work, the hoop bobbled up and down, making the animals jiggle about. Grayson was giggling now. When all the animals were attached, they all sat back and looked at it. It was VERY pink. Nyota giggled.

Grayson looked at mama. "Is this for Amanda to look at?"

"Not just look at, Grayson. It is for her to play with as well."

Grayson's brows drew together in exact imitation of his father. "How can she play with it?"

"Just watch and see." Nyota carefully lifted her daughter from the center of the bed and laid her down in the cradle. Spock leaned over carefully and adjusted the way the hoop sat slightly. Then he used one long finger to set the hoop jiggling. Amanda's eyes went straight to the little pink animals. She was fascinated. When all movement stopped, she made a little noise.

"Mama, baba, can I make the animals wiggle again?"

"Yes Grayson, but don't push very hard. It doesn't take much."

Grayson extended one hand and carefully wiggled the hoop. The little animals danced on the ends of their strings. Amanda watched until all the movement stopped again. Then she puckered up and complained. Grayson's hand reached out again, but Spock stopped him. "Wait, Grayson. See what she will do."

Grayson didn't understand, but he drew his hand back anyway. All three of them watched Amanda to see what she would do. She muttered, staring at the little pink animals. She fussed, just a little, her fists clenched on her chest. And then one arm reached partway up, but not far enough to reach the animals. She wiggled and squirmed and then that arm moved higher, waving. It went almost high enough, but not quite. She wiggled again, fussing louder now, and then waved her arms wildly. This time she barely grazed the bottom of one of the little pink dancers, setting it twisting and turning. She made a short sound that very plainly conveyed satisfaction and Grayson smiled at her. "Look, mama, baba, look what Amanda is doing!"

"Yes, this toy will help to train her eyes and her brain, so that she can tell her arms and hands where things are. You may only jiggle the hoop once, and then you must wait and make her try to do it herself."

"Yes, baba, I understand." Grayson settled down on his haunches beside the cradle, watching his sister bat at the dancers, sometimes connecting with them and making them jiggle about. Spock rose from the floor and went to sit on the side of the bed with Nyota.

"There was nothing wrong with the mobile that they sent to Grayson. We could have put it back up for her. Why did they send another one? Just because it was pink?"

"I am afraid so, yes." She shook her head. "You mustn't try to make sense of it, ashayam. You will only give yourself a headache." She rose from the bed and went into the bedroom that would be Amanda's, taking clean clothing from the dresser. Back in master bedroom again, she picked the now frustrated Amanda up out of the cradle and laid her back on the bed, stripping off the sleeping suit she wore and dressing her in some of the new pink clothes. She now looked like some sort of candy confection.

Grayson looked at his sister in confusion. "Mama, she looks like the pink clouds that they had at the amusement park."

Nyota burst in laughter, unable to help herself. That is exactly what she had thought of. And when she put her in the new baby carrier, it was even worse. She was very surprised that Spock would even put that thing on, much less head out for the mess hall wearing it. He just ignored the startled looks he got, one warm hand curled around his daughter as she nestled against his chest. Grayson held her hand and bounced along beside her, still full of energy.

When they got to the mess hall, they were instantly the center of attention. Everyone giggled over the bright pink baby carrier and pink-clothed baby. McCoy could not keep his face straight. Kirk had to turn around, doubled over in laughter. Spock raised one eyebrow at them all. "She is very pretty in pink." Even Nyota had a hard time keeping a straight face after that.


	20. Chapter 20:Happy Three Years Old

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty - Happy Three Years Old**

**16 August, 2271 **

Grayson knew something important was going to happen. Mama and baba had been whispering to each other for several days. And Miss Betty had bent her head close to mama's this morning and whispered, too. But he didn't know what it was. He sat in the sandbox with Joey and Shron and Grrel and patted the sand into hills and valleys. He could see Jilly, sitting in the middle of all the fuzzies, one in each arm, rocking and singing to herself. Sam went over and sat down next to her and Jilly smiled at him. Grayson started to get up, to go over and make Sam move, but Grrel chose that moment to roll in the sand, making it fly everywhere. Joey laughed and jumped on top of Grrel and Miss Lou came running.

By the time everyone had been brushed off, Sam was playing with the blocks and Suzy was the one sitting by Jilly. Grayson decided to go and play with the blocks, too. Sam had sorted the blocks into piles of different colors and Grayson sorted each pile into stacks of different shapes. Then Sam started to count how many blocks there were in each stack. But Sam could only count to five and there were more than five blocks in some of the stacks. When Sam stopped, frustrated, Grayson picked up. "Six, seven, eight."

Sam looked at him. "Tell me again, Grayson."

Grayson laid the red triangles out in a line, pointing to each one with his finger. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."

Sam tried it. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seben, eith."

"No, no, Sam. That's not right. SEVEN. EIGHT."

Sam stared right at Grayson. "Seben. Seeven. Sev-en."

Grayson clapped his hands. "That's it!" Sam grinned. He was opening his mouth to try eight when something happened at the door. All the little heads in the room swiveled in that direction.

Grayson's mouth gaped open. There in door stood mama and baba and Unca Jim and Pavel. And they had something with them - a cart with a big cake on it! Baba and Unca Jim pushed the cart into the day care center and, as Grayson watched, baba did something and suddenly there were three tiny fires on top of the cake. Grayson got up off the floor and headed for mama. She gave him a hug and turned him toward the cart. Baba picked him up and held him near the cake. Mama was saying to blow the candles out.

Now Grayson remembered! He took a deep breath and blew at the tiny fires on top of the cake. All three went out. Everyone laughed and clapped. Baba set him back down and mama started cutting pieces of the cake. She told him to give one to each of his friends and also to each of the attendants. Grayson very carefully carried the small plates and little forks one at a time to his friends. When everyone was sitting on the floor, eating cake, Pavel took something from his pocket and inserted in the slot next to the big screen on the wall. Suddenly there were pictures there! Animals running around in clothes! What was that? Everybody watched, almost forgetting to eat their cake.

When the cartoons were over, mama and Pavel collected all the plates and forks and put them in the bottom of the cart. Grayson hugged all the adults, and they took the cart and left. Birthday parties were fun!


	21. Chapter 21:Time for Another Family Photo

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-one - Time for a new Family Photo**

**Late August, 2271 **

Grayson knew what was coming. When mama started dressing everyone up, it was time to take a new picture. Mama had on that pretty, bright dress and had her hair all wrapped up in something. And she had on all those bangles that Grayson liked so much. They made pretty noises as she moved around the room. And baba was putting on his dark robes, the ones with the Vulcan glyphs embroidered down the front. Grayson couldn't read them yet, but he could recognize what they were. Baba had promised him that very soon he would start to teach them to him. He could hardly wait. And mama had said that as soon as she was used to working again, she would teach him how to spell his name. He had already learned the Standard alphabet - he was the only one in day care who knew it.

Now mama was coming toward him with clothes in her hands. He stood up quickly and pulled off his tee-shirt. Mama laughed and tickled him, making him giggle. Mama helped him dress in the new clothes. They were dark, like baba's, but there was a jacket instead of a long robe. And on the front, some of that nice embroidery. He patted it, happy. "What does it say, mama? Baba, tell me."

"That is your name, Grayson."

Grayson looked again. Of course, it was upside down, but even so, he could tell that some of the glyphs matched the ones on baba's robe. He looked carefully. Then he pointed. "This part is S'chn T'gai, isn't it? And then this part is Grayson." He looked very proud of himself for having figured that out.

Baba reached over and ran his fingers down the side of his face and Grayson felt how proud baba was, as well. And then baba took the hairbrush and brushed his hair while mama went and got new clothes for Amanda.

Grayson watched as mama dressed Amanda all in pink. Pink socks, pink dress, pink ribbon in her hair. Grayson giggled, still thinking of the pink clouds. Mama must have guessed what he was thinking, because she smiled too. Amanda waved her arms in the air and gurgled at them.

Baba had the camera all set up. He put the round stool that mama kept in the corner to stand on to reach things that were way high up when baba wasn't here to help her right in the middle of the room. Then he took Grayson and lifted him up to stand on the stool. "Stand still, Grayson. Do not fall off."

"Yes, baba. I will stand very still."

Baba went and looked through the back of the camera at Grayson and then took something off the side of the camera and came and stood beside him. Mama came with Amanda in her arms and stood on Grayson's other side. Baba made a clicking sound and the bright light on the camera flashed. Then he took Amanda from mama and held her while mama put her arm through the crook of his elbow and rested her other hand on Grayson's shoulder. There was another flash of light.

Now mama said something to baba and he agreed. She picked Grayson up and baba sat on the stool, Amanda still in his arms. Mama carefully sat Grayson on baba's leg, and Grayson took hold of baba's robe with one hand to help steady himself. Mama stood beside baba, her arm across behind his back and her hand on his shoulder. There was another bright flash.

Mama lifted Grayson down to the floor and took Amanda. Baba took the camera over to the com link and did something and then, there on the screen, were the pictures. Mama and baba looked at them and talked about them. Mama pointed to one and said, send that one to my parents, and then she pointed to another and said, send that one to your father and Selek. Baba nodded. Those where his choices, too. Grayson wiggled his way in between his parents and pointed to another picture. "Can I have this one?" mama and baba looked at him.

"Where are you going to put it, Grayson?" mama was smiling at him.

"I want to give it to Jilly." He didn't know why mama thought that was funny or baba's eyebrow was raised. He wanted Jilly to have one of the nice pictures.


	22. Chapter 22:Subspace Introductions

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-two - Subspace Introductions**

**Early September, 2271 **

Grayson sat in his chair and wiggled. He was very eager for mama to finish dressing Amanda and come and sit beside him. Then baba would make the com link talk to sa'mekh'al and toz'ot'al Selek and babu and bibi. It was so hard to wait. He wanted to see them _now_.

Here came mama with Amanda. She sat down in the chair and turned Amanda around so that she was sitting in her lap, leaning back against her. Mama put her arm around Amanda's tummy to hold her up straight. With her other hand, she reached over and ruffled Grayson's hair. Grayson smiled and reached over and held Amanda's hand, making his sister burble at him. She waved her hand, jerking his around and making him laugh.

Baba came over now and lifted Grayson up, sitting him back down straddling one leg. Grayson liked to do this. Sometimes baba would make his leg bounce up and down, making Grayson wiggle and scream. Baba always pretended he didn't know what the problem was, keeping his face very straight. But his eyes twinkled, and Grayson knew it was as much fun for baba as it was for him. But now they were going to make calls, so there would not be any bouncing.

Baba's hands reached for the keypad and made symbols appear on the screen. Grayson recognized that one and that one. Mama was starting to teach him. And baba had brought him a small PADD, just the right size for his hands, and showed him how to use the stylus. Grayson almost held his breath, waiting to see which set of faces would appear. Ah, it was babu and bibi!

Babu smiled out of the screen, calling to bibi to come quickly. Grayson grinned at him, waving his hand to say hello. Bibi looked at Amanda and exclaimed. "Oh, the box of baby clothes arrived. Doesn't she look pretty in pink! Did Grayson's birthday box get there on time?"

Nyota looked at her mother. "No, mama, we have not received a box for Grayson. When did you send it and how was it addressed?"

Bibi was upset now. "But I sent it out more than a week before his birthday! It should have been there! Do you think it's lost?"

"No, mama, that just isn't enough time. If you want it to get to us before his birthday, you need to send it out at least two months before then. It just takes a lot longer out in space. And it depends on how far away we are and how the ships are running. It will get here in a month or so. What name did you put on it this time?"

Bibi looked at mama. "What do you mean?"

Mama made a little sighing noise. "Mama, you never get the names right! We're lucky to get the boxes at all. What name did you put on this box?"

Bibi looked at babu. Babu shrugged. He hadn't even seen the address. "I don't know, Ny. I can't remember. I'll try harder to get it right."

Just then Amanda let out with a shriek. Mama grabbed her up and looked at her. What was wrong? Now Amanda smiled. Mama sat her back down. "I don't think she liked the tone of our voices. She's never done that before."

Bibi just laughed. "You used to do that when your brother and sisters were fighting. Oh, my, that takes me back!"

Hearing the laughter, Amanda laughed too, waving her arms about.

Babu smiled. "She's a happy little thing, isn't she?"

"Yes, baba, she certainly is."

Grayson had been sitting quietly, being good, but he was about to burst. "babu, bibi, guess what? I had a birthday cake, with little fires on top."

His grandparents were a little startled, until babu said "Candles?"

"Yes, candles, babu. That's what mama called them. I blew hard and they all went out."

"Well, that was very good Grayson. Did you share your cake with your friends?"

"Yes, mama and baba brought it to the day care center and everyone got a piece. And Unca Jim and Pavel came too."

Babu and bibi looked blank. "Uncle Jim?"

Baba spoke up now. "That is how Grayson addresses the captain of our ship. Kirk seems quite taken with it."

"Ah. It is good to cultivate those in positions of influence."

Mama shook her head. "Ah, baba, he's our friend. I knew him at the Academy."

Babu looked slightly shocked. "He is that young? Surely that is too young to be the captain of such a ship."

"Well, there were lots of extenuating circumstances."

Suddenly there was a lot of noise behind babu and bibi and then there were other faces in the screen. Faces that screamed and grinned. Mama grinned back. Grayson looked at her confused. Baba leaned down and spoke softly to him. "Those are your mother's sisters. They are excited because they did not know that we would call tonight and they have not seen Amanda yet."

"Oh. Are they always this loud, baba?"

Baba was quiet, then answered him, with the faint sound of laughter in his voice. "Almost always, yes."

Grayson looked back at the screen. How could they hear one another if they all talked at once and so loudly? He sat there with his eyes wide, watching. Amanda burbled and waved and everyone laughed at her, all happy.

Finally, mama said they had to end the call, and blew kisses at everyone. Grayson hurried to do the same. Bibi blew one back at him. And then baba reached out and pressed the button that ended the transmission. He turned to mama. "Sometimes talking with your family is very exhausting."

"You are so right. So very right." She shook her head.

"Do you need to rest before our other call?"

"No, no, this one will be quite peaceful, I am sure."

Baba's fingers once more pressed keys and Grayson watched the words appear on the screen. And then, there was sa'mekh'al! Grayson sat up straight and held up his hand, spreading his fingers out in the correct configuration. Sa'mekh'al held up his own hand, and greeted Grayson. Carefully, Grayson made the response. Then he could not help it - he grinned widely. Sa'mekh'al's lips twitched, but he did not smile. Instead, he called to someone not visible. In just a moment, there was another face on the screen.

"Toz'ot'al Selek! I have not seen you in a long time." Grayson wiggled and bounced on baba's knee. "Look, baba, toz'ot'al Selek!"

Selek's lips curved up in an almost smile. "Hello, Grayson. How are you doing? Is this your sister?"

"Yes, yes, this is Amanda. Hasn't she grown? Mama is helping her to sit up because she can't sit up on her own yet. She is still too little. She cannot play with Jilly yet, either. But someday she will."

Sarek and Selek looked back at the energetic child. "Does he ever run out of energy?"

"Hardly ever. It can be extremely tiring." baba was rubbing his back, though, so he was not angry. Baba tilted his head down a little. "Grayson, why do you not tell your sa'mekh'al and toz'ot'al Selek what you are learning?"

Grayson was very excited now. "I am learning to read! Well, not really read yet, but I am learning letters! When I have learned enough letters, I can learn words! Then I will be able to read!"

"This is very commendable, Grayson. Which language are you learning to read?"

Grayson had not thought about this before. He knew that he knew words in different languages, but he hadn't realized that different languages might have different letters. He looked from one parent to another. "Mama?"

"You are learning to read Standard first, Grayson. After that you will learn to read Vulcan. And then we will see. But one at a time." Mama turned to face the screen now. "Standard is what they will use in all the classes here on the ship, so it is very important that he understands it thoroughly before starting another language. He already knows enough languages that he often combines them, confusing the people he is speaking with."

"He does appear to have inherited your language skills, then." That was toz'ot'al Selek.

"Spock has a pretty strong language skill as well. I don't think our children will escape that at all. They will probably all have a good grasp of language."

"I believe that you are correct. This is an excellent skill to have." Sarek looked thoughtful. "I can send him a primer if you wish. They are being printed here now."

"Real printed books? Oh, that would be lovely. But why are they printed."

Baba turned to mama. "I had such a primer when I was small. I would run my finger over the marks, learning how to form the letters. This would be difficult to do with a PADD."

Mama looked very thoughtful now. "I can see that. Yes. It does give me ideas." She smiled at sa'mekh'al. "Thank you so much."

Amanda decided it was time someone paid attention to her. She began to wave her arms and burble again. Baba reached over and laid his finger in her hand and she grabbed it tightly, pulling it to her mouth. Mama quickly reached over and stopped her. "No, no, Amanda, you cannot put your baba's fingers in your mouth."

Amanda twisted around, trying to see mama's face. Grayson didn't understand why Amanda could not put baba's fingers in her mouth. Mama let her put _her_ fingers in her mouth. And she had put Grayson's fingers in her mouth, as well. Why not baba's? But sa'mekh'al was saying something to baba and there was not time to ask a question.

They talked a few minutes longer, and then Amanda began to fuss. "mama, mama, her diaper is wet."

"Yes, Grayson, I know. Sorry, Sarek, Selek, but I must go and change her." Mama stood up and carried Amanda into the other room. Baba talked for a few minutes more and then told Grayson to say his good-byes and cut the connection. He lifted him off his leg and set him on the floor and moved the second chair back where it belonged.

Grayson went into the playroom and settled down with his PADD, practicing with the stylus, learning to make straight lines and nice curves, while baba went into the bedroom to talk to mama while she nursed Amanda. It had been nice talking to everyone, but now was nice, too.


	23. Chapter 23:Playing With Amanda

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-three - Playing with Amanda**

**Mid September, 2271 **

Grayson was sitting on the floor, making his little shuttle fly around the playroom, when mama walked through with Amanda on her shoulder, into the room that had just recently become Amanda's own room, picked the bright cloth up off the dresser and came back into the playroom and flipped the cloth out onto the floor. Grayson jumped up and caught the corner of the cloth, helping to spread it out. "Is it time to play with Amanda, mama?"

"Yes it is, Grayson. You had better go and put your toys away."

"Yes, mama." Grayson picked up his shuttle and carried it into his bedroom, setting it on his dresser. Then he went back into the playroom and picked up several other toys that he had left laying there and put them neatly in his toybox. Then he came over to the bright floor cloth, where mama had put Amanda on her tummy. He lay down on his tummy as well, looking his sister in the eyes and smiling at her. She had her arms and legs in the air, wobbling on her tummy, laughing and waving her arms about.

Grayson looked around. Baba was not here! He jumped back up and ran into the other room, stopping suddenly at his father's side. "Baba, baba, it is time to play with Amanda. You must stop working now and come play."

Spock looked down at his son, his lips quirking up at the corners. "I am shutting down the com link now, Grayson. I will be right there."

Grayson took off again, running as fast as he could back into the playroom, throwing himself back down on the floor. Amanda seemed to think that was very funny, and laughed at him. He gave her a big grin. "What are we going to do first, mama?"

Nyota twisted herself about and stretched full-length on the floor beside her son, turning her head in his direction. "Shall we make faces at her?"

Grayson began to giggle in earnest. "Oh, yes, mama. Let's make faces." He took his fingers and stretched his mouth wide and wiggled his tongue at his sister, who bobbed up and down and cackled at him. Beside him, Nyota wiggled her fingers in front of her face and made silly noises. Amanda wiggled and squirmed and chortled happily.

Spock came and slid down onto the floor on the other side of Grayson. He looked from his wife to his son and raised one eyebrow. Then he looked at his happily grinning daughter and considered. Nyota caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye and looked at him in astonishment, bursting out into laughter before she could catch herself. Grayson turned his head just in time to see his father with crossed eyes, before Spock straightened out his face and pretended nothing had happened.

Amanda had one hand out in front of her, trying to reach her father's face. Spock obligingly scooted just enough closer to her that her fingers grazed his nose.

"Careful, baba, she pinches noses if you are not careful."

"Yes, Grayson, indeed she does. And ears as well."

"And she loves to pull on earrings, as I discovered the hard way. My poor ear is still sore." Nyota reached out now and rolled Amanda over onto her back. She leaned over, pulling up the baby's shirt and blew hard on her tummy, making loud bubbly noises. Amanda shrieked with glee, waving her arms and legs wildly.

Spock reached over and tickled the bottom of one foot with one long finger. Her little toes curled up and her foot trembled against his finger, but she pushed it forward when no more tickling occurred. He ran his finger down the length of her sole, making her thrash about. Then he pushed gently against her foot, until she pushed back, forcing his hand backwards. Now he began to tease the other little foot. When he had finished, Nyota reached forward and began to wiggle the little toes, one by one, reciting the 'piggy song', as Grayson called it. Grayson joined in, counting the piggies. Amanda wiggled and squirmed and babbled at them.

The next thing on the agenda was arm strengthening. Spock laid one finger against the palm of Amanda's hand and she clasped it tightly. He lifted gently, stretching her arm until her shoulder just came off the floor. Then he lowered her, carefully, so that there was so bump or jerk. She got excited and waved the other hand at him, so he offered her another finger. Now he could lift her whole upper body gently from the floor. She hung on tightly, her brow furrowed in concentration. Grayson held his breath until her shoulders were touching the floor again.

"How long, baba, how long?"

"She did hold herself up for twenty seconds. She is getting stronger."

Grayson grinned. "Then we can teach her push-ups soon, can't we?"

"I believe so, yes. Very soon."

Nyota pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Is anyone else hungry? I think I could eat a horse."

Spock raised one eyebrow at her and Grayson giggled merrily. "Not a horse, mama. We don't eat horses."

"Are you sure? I thought I saw that on the menu last week."

Grayson chortled happily, rolling on the floor. "No, no, mama, no horses."

"Grasshoppers then. That would be tasty."

Grayson was giggling so hard now that he could hardly breathe. "No, no, mama, not grasshoppers, either. Macaroni and cheese."

"If you're sure. That does sound pretty good." She scooped her son up off the floor and blew raspberries on his stomach, for good measure, before giving him a big hug. "Run wash your hands." She set him down and he ran into the bathroom. She looked over at Spock, still gently working with their daughter. "And you! Crossing your eyes. I almost wet myself."

"I can assure you I did no such thing."

"You absolutely did! You're not getting away with that, mister!" And she descended on him, finding the ticklish spot that only she knew about. He locked his arms around her in mock battle, sending her such a hot feeling through their link that she blushed heavily. And then Grayson came and jumped on top of them, laughing that he was ready to go eat. Playing was definitely fun.


	24. Chapter 24Eating in the Mess Hall

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-four - Eating in the Mess Hall**

**Mid September, 2271 **

Grayson saw mama and baba coming down the corridor and went running to them. Baba picked him up and sat him on his shoulders and Grayson laughed happily. He did love to ride way up high. Mama stepped in and said something to Miss Lou and then they went on down the corridor to the infant room, where Amanda was. Mama went straight to the bed where Amanda was, and Amanda waved her arms and legs excitedly. Mama picked up the bright pink baby carrier off the end of the bed and strapped it on and then picked up Amanda and settled her down in it. Amanda was still waving her arms and legs. And now she was babbling as well. Grayson laughed at hearing her.

And then they were off, down the corridor, heading for the Mess Hall and supper. Grayson was glad because he was hungry. He had been running around and around in the day care center and his legs were tired and his tummy was growling. Baba tilted his head and spoke to him. "Are you hungry, Grayson?"

"Yes, baba, very hungry today. I have been running and it made my tummy hungry."

"Yes, running will do that. We will be there soon."

When they got to the serving line, baba moved him from his shoulders to his left hip. Baba put two trays on the rails and added silverware. He pushed on the second tray and both trays slid along. Mama was in front of them, putting food on her tray. And now she was putting things on the second tray, as well. There was jello - green, his favorite kind - and it had shredded carrots and little pieces of pineapple in it! Oh, yum. He watched to see what else she would put on the tray. Oh, those little potato things, all puffy. He liked those. "Don't forget the ketchup, mama!" She laughed and picked up one of the bottles sitting beside the potatoes and squirted some on his plate.

She put a salad on her tray, one that had lots of vegetables in it. Baba told her that looked nice and she handed another one to him. And then she saw the quiche and put a big piece on her tray and a little piece on the second tray for him. Baba wasn't sure about the quiche, he was still looking to see what else was on the line today. Grayson watched him put a dish of rice pilaf on the tray.

When they came to the deserts, Grayson wiggled and squirmed. "mama, mama, ice cream!"

"Yes, I see, Grayson. Which flavor would you like?"

"Oh, mama, the strawberry, please, please." mama put a small dish of strawberry ice cream on his tray and Grayson sighed happily. Baba's lips quirked up at him. Baba knew how much he liked ice cream. Mama put a dish of vanilla ice cream on her own tray, and then picked up a bottle and squirted something brown on it. Baba watched her very carefully. She just looked at him and smiled.

Mama picked up her tray and carried it out to the table where Unca Jim and Scotty and McCoy were sitting. Baba followed right behind her, setting his tray down next to hers. He set Grayson down next to mama and sat on his other side. Grayson could hear something strange. He leaned forward and looked past mama. McCoy was tickling Amanda under the chin and making very strange sounds at her. "baba, what is McCoy saying? I do not know those words."

Baba looked uncomfortable. "He is speaking in babytalk, Grayson. Some adults do this. They think babies cannot understand normal words."

"But, baba, Amanda can understand what we say. Most of it, anyway. She doesn't understand when you talk about science."

Baba cocked his head and looked at Grayson. "I would not expect her to understand science at her age. There are many things she must learn yet. How do you know that she understands, Grayson?"

Grayson thought. "I am not sure, baba. But I know that she understands me when I talk to her. She laughs at me."

Baba nodded at him. "Yes, she does laugh when you talk to her. I have noticed this."

Baba had all the dishes off the tray now, and set Grayson's supper in front of him, handing him a fork and spoon. Grayson started to eat eagerly. His tummy really was hungry. He didn't stop until everything was entirely gone. Then he leaned against Baba, his eyes heavy. He had done a_ lot_ of running today. Maybe he would just take a little nap. Baba wrapped one warm arm about him and he relaxed even more. Just a short nap.


	25. Chapter 25Rolling

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-five - Rolling**

**Late September, 2271 **

Grayson was on the floor in the playroom, entertaining Amanda. She was on the floor cloth, laying on her back. Grayson crawled around her, first on one side and then the other. As he moved, she turned her face, trying to keep track of him. He stopped, almost behind her head. She turned first to one side, and then to the other, but could not see him. He giggled. She stopped, hearing him. And then she turned, completely over onto her side, looking for him. She hovered a moment, and then overbalanced, rolling on over to her stomach. She lifted her head and saw him before her and laughed and waved her arms at him. He got down on his stomach, laughing with her. And then he rolled over and over across the floor, just full of energy. Amanda watched him, her arms slowing in their movements. He rolled over again, coming back to her. And then he went on, past her, rolling again.

He sat up, out of breath, and saw Amanda, concentrating, roll over again. Now she was on her back. She turned her head and saw him, and gathered herself up and rolled again, back onto her tummy. Grayson clapped his hands over his mouth, giggling. Amanda wiggled and squirmed, laughing.

Grayson laid down flat again and rolled some more. When he stopped and looked back, here came Amanda, rolling toward him. She would go half way, teeter a moment, and then flop over the rest of the way. Then she would wiggle and giggle before doing it again.

Mama poked her head around the corner to see what was going on and stopped, standing there, watching. "Spock, come see."

Baba's head appeared in the doorway beside hers, his hand on her shoulder.

Grayson rolled again, back the way he had come. Amanda stopped and looked at him, then giggling, she rolled away from him. Back and forth they rolled, both giggling.

"I do not believe that I shall join their game this time."

Mama giggled, too, and patted Baba on the chest. "No, I don't think so. I think this is one they can play by themselves."


	26. Chapter 26: Feeding Lessons

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-six - Feeding Lessons**

**Late September, 2271 **

Grayson watched to see whether he could figure out what mama was doing. She warmed some water and mixed it with some white powder, stirring it and feeling it with the end of one finger. She was frowning. She carried the small bowl over to baba and asked him if it was too hot. Baba stuck _his _finger in it and said no, it was fine. Then she took a jar out of the stasis unit and spooned some of the light yellow stuff that was in it into another small bowl. She opened the drawer the tableware was in and took out a very small spoon. What was she doing?

She set both bowls and the spoon on the table at the end of the couch. And then she picked Amanda up off the floor cloth and sat down with her back against the front of the couch and her knees bent, with Amanda sitting on her, leaning back against her legs. Baba got up and went into the bathroom as she was doing this and came back with a damp cloth. When he handed it to mama, she laughed. "I always forget that, don't I?"

Baba quirked his lips up at her and settled down at her side. Grayson sidled over and sat on her other side, eager to see what was going on. Baba reached behind him and brought the two bowls and the little spoon out where mama could reach them. Mama dipped the little spoon in the bowl with the white stuff in it and touched Amanda's mouth with it. Amanda looked very surprised. When she opened her mouth, mama slipped the spoon inside, and quickly back out again. Amanda pursed her lips and looked at mama. Some of the white stuff dribbled out of the corner of her mouth. Baba reached over and gently cleaned her face.

Now mama dipped the little spoon in the yellow stuff and held it close to Amanda's face, waiting for her to open her mouth again. She touched Amanda's lower lip with the end of the spoon, and Amanda opened her mouth like a little fish. The spoon went in and came back out again without the yellow stuff on it. Amanda closed her mouth, making sucky motions. Her eyes were very big.

"mama, mama, what are you feeding Amanda? Why does she let it fall out of her mouth? Can I do that? Oh, mama, let me help."

Mama laughed. "Grayson, you can't help yet. Eventually you can, but right now I am teaching her. She doesn't know how to eat from a spoon yet. So she makes lots of messes. She is eating rice cereal and applesauce."

"I like rice and applesauce. Those are good foods."

"Yes they are. And very easy for babies to digest. You have to be careful what you feed babies so that their stomachs don't get upset." mama continued to spoon tiny little bits of food into Amanda's mouth while they were talking. Every time Grayson spoke, Amanda turned her head in his direction and the spoon scraped along her cheek, making a mess. Mama scraped part of it off with the spoon and tried again, and then baba wiped the rest off with the damp cloth.

It looked like feeding a baby was a family event. Grayson wanted very much to help. His hands clenched in his lap and he bounced in place. Finally baba took pity on him. "Come over here, Grayson and you can help wipe her face." Grayson jumped up and ran around mama's feet and climbed into baba's lap. Baba showed him how to hold the damp cloth around his finger and gently wipe the streak of food off her face. Amanda turned her face in their direction and smiled at them. Grayson made a face at her, and she laughed aloud, spraying rice and applesauce all over the place.

"Uh, oh." Grayson knew that he had not been supposed to make a face at her when she was eating. That was now obvious. Mama was laughing though, and baba's lips were quirked up.

Baba bent his head down and whispered in Grayson's ear. "You did the same thing to me the first time I tried to feed you."

Grayson twisted around to look at baba. "I did?"

"Yes, you did. And your mother laughed then, too."


	27. Chapter 27:Toys

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-seven - Toys**

**Early October, 2271 **

Grayson sat on the floor in the playroom, playing with his little shuttle that baba and Scotty had made for him for his birthday. Amanda was on her floorcloth, on her tummy, pushed up on her arms, looking at him. She began to fuss. Mama called from the other room and asked him to please give her a toy. He set his shuttle down and went to the toy box. There on top was the tiny Enterprise that he had had since he was a baby. It made a lovely chiming sound when you shook it. Amanda should like that. He picked it up and went over to her, kneeling down and shaking the toy to make it chime before setting it in front of her. Then he went back to play with his shuttle again.

Amanda looked at the shiny thing in front of her. She cocked her head and studied it. Grayson had made it make a nice sound. She reached out one hand, balanced on the other, and batted at the toy. It made a short sound and stopped. She batted at it again, with the same result. Frustrated, she grabbed at it, catching it in her hand and lifting it from the floor before losing her grip. The toy hit the floor and rolled off, chiming. Now she could not reach it at all. She let out a loud howl of frustration.

Grayson heard Amanda and jumped up, control unit still in hand, and ran to pick up the toy and return it to where she could reach it. She smiled at him and clutched the toy, shaking her hand and making it chime. "That's right, Amanda. That's the way to do it." Grayson grinned at her and went back to his shuttle.

Amanda rolled over onto her back, with the toy in both hands now, and held it over her face, shaking it in her hands. It chimed and chimed. She chortled in glee. And then it slipped from her grasp and hit her in the nose. She yelled loudly, more surprised than hurt.

Once again Grayson rushed over to see what the problem was. Mama stuck her head around the corner to see him patting Amanda, who hiccuped a couple of times and then smiled again. "She dropped her toy on her nose, mama."

"Well, try giving her something that's not so hard."

Grayson went back to the toy box. Ah, here was a little fuzzy, just Amanda's size. He ran back with it, laying it on her chest. Both little hands grasped the soft furry cloth, and a big smile wreathed her face. She clutched the fuzzy and crooned. Grayson went back to his shuttle.

Amanda rocked back and forth, cuddling the fuzzy. She rolled over and suddenly, the fuzzy was under her tummy. She was confused. She flailed one arm out, trying to balance herself, and her hand closed on the chiming toy. Irritated, because she didn't want this toy now, she jerked her arm and let go of the toy, sending it flying across the room to hit Grayson in the back of his head.

Grayson jerked and grabbed his head, yelling. Baba was in the room instantly. "Grayson, what is wrong?"

"Amanda threw that toy at me. It hit me in the back of the head."

"Surely she did not do that on purpose." Spock looked at Amanda, seeing the fuzzy stuck under her tummy, and gently pulled it out, putting it in front of her. Then he came over and checked the back of Grayson's head. "The skin has not been broken. There is a red spot there, where it hit. Does it pain you?"

"Just a little, baba."

Baba's warm fingers rubbed softly against the spot and Grayson felt the warmth seep in. Gradually, the pain smoothed out and disappeared. "Oh, thank you, baba. That is much better."

Spock rose and went back into the other room. Grayson could hear him telling mama what had happened. Amanda was crooning to the fuzzy again, so Grayson began to fly the little shuttle around the room. After a bit, Grayson began to feel something. He was not sure what it was, for he had never felt this before. It was as if someone was pushing at him, but there was no one there. It was very strange. He continued to fly the little shuttle around the room, going quite close to Amanda. Suddenly the feeling of being pushed was very strong - and he felt a desire - a very strong desire - to have the flying thing. He looked around, but there was no one in the room but he and Amanda. But the feeling got so strong that it almost hurt. "mama, baba, please come."

Mama and baba came quickly. Mama knelt down on the floor beside him. "What is the matter, Grayson?"

"Can't you feel it, mama? Someone wants my little shuttle. I can feel it in my head."

Baba cocked his head and then his eyes changed, as though he was not looking at Grayson any more. "Fly the shuttle around again, Grayson."

And so he did, making it circle the room. When it passed in front of Amanda, the feeling came again. Baba turned his head quickly and looked at Amanda. He knelt down beside her and laid one finger against the side of her face. Then he turned to mama, with an amazed look on his face. "She can broadcast. Strongly. This was not expected."

Mama went over to sit beside baba and reached out to lay her fingers near baba's, on Amanda's face. She gasped loudly. "Oh, that's so strong! Ouch!"

"Yes. Grayson could feel it from across the room." He looked down at the little girl laying contentedly on the floor now, both parents there beside her. "Somehow I shall have to teach her control. This may prove challenging."


	28. Chapter 28:Appendages

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-eight - Appendages**

**Mid October, 2271 **

Grayson was laying on the floor on the playroom, the new primer that sa'mekh'al Sarek had sent him laying open before him. Using the stylus from his PADD, he slowly traced one glyph after another, learning the flowing shapes. Baba had sat with him last night, teaching him the names of the glyphs on the first few pages. Those were the ones he was tracing now. Baba had shown him where to start on each glyph, but even if he had not, there were tiny arrows drawn on the pages, showing the direction he should move in. He was so totally engrossed in what he was doing what he paid no attention whatsoever to his sister, who soon became indignant.

Amanda lay on her stomach, watching her brother. She wanted him to come and play with her, but he was doing something else. She wiggled around and waved her arms at him, but he never looked up. She stuck out her lower lip and made small noises of unhappiness, but still he did not look at her. She looked around. There were no toys within her reach. Neither mama nor baba was in the room, only Grayson. She pouted. She got tired of laying on her stomach holding her head up, so she rolled over on her back. She wished the little wiggly things that hung over her bed were here so that she could bat at them. She waved her arms in the air, pretending, but it was not the same. She pulled her fists in toward her face, and by accident, stuck one in her mouth.

Hm, this was interesting. She sucked on the back of her hand. It was smooth and soft. She held her hand up and looked at the wet skin. She held the other hand up and looked at the dry skin. Hm. She unfurled her fingers and spread them out, looking at them. Why were they not all the same size? This was confusing. She stuck one finger in her mouth, chewing on it with the little hard ridges of her gums. She pulled the finger back out and looked at it more closely. There was a hard place on one side. She looked at the other fingers. All of them had a hard place, and it was on the same side of every finger. Why? Maybe Grayson would tell her. She rolled back over and looked at him, wanting an answer, but he was still intent on what he was doing.

Frustrated she rolled back over and kicked her legs in the air. She stared at her feet. She had fingers on her feet! Did they have hard things on them, too? She reached out and grabbed her feet, pulling them up towards her face. Yes! There were hard things on her feet fingers too. With great effort, she bent her body and pulled one foot far enough that she managed to get the feet fingers into her mouth. She rubbed her gums against the hard places. Yes, that felt exactly the same. Odd. What were those for? She rocked back and forth, chewing on her feet fingers, making small little thinking noises.

Grayson finished tracing all the glyphs that baba had told him to study and closed his primer, taking it and the stylus into his bedroom and laying them on the dresser. He walked back into the playroom and saw Amanda, rocking back and forth on the floor, her hands holding her feet up to her mouth, which was chewing on her toes. He began to laugh. She looked so funny! He ran over and lay down beside her, grabbing his feet and rocking side to side, laughing all the time.

Nyota stuck her head around the corner to see what Grayson was laughing at and saw her two children rocking back and forth, toes in their mouths. She shook her head, smiling. They always seemed to find some way to amuse themselves.


	29. Chapter 29:Water, Water, Everywhere

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Twenty-nine - Water, Water, Everywhere**

**Mid October, 2271 **

Grayson was ready for his bath. He had picked out a water toy and put his clothes in the laundry container and laid his pajamas out on his bed. And now he stood in the bathroom, waiting impatiently for mama or baba to come and run his bath. Ah, here came mama! And she had Amanda in her arms - with all of her clothes off! Was Amanda going to take a bath with him?

Mama sat down on the edge of the bathtub and started the water, holding her hand in it to be sure the temperature was not too hot. When it was where she wanted it, she put the stopper in and the tub began to fill. She looked at him and laughed. "Are you ready for your bath, Grayson?"

"Yes, yes, mama, I am ready! See I have my little boat." He held it up for her to see.

"Yes, I see that. Okay, little boy, now listen close. We are going to try something new tonight. Amanda is going to take a bath with you. Now she doesn't sit up very good, so I will be holding onto her. You mustn't splash water in her face, okay?"

"Oh, mama, I would not do that!"

"Well, you certainly used to splash water in _my_ face!" Mama was laughing at him.

"That was when I was too little to know better. Now I am big."

Mama reached out and ruffled his hair. "Yes, you are. My big boy. Okay, come here so I can help you in."

Grayson stepped over next to mama and she lifted him up with her free arm and pulled him across the top on the tub, lowering him down into the water. She watched the water level as he started to float his boat, watching it tumble and twist in the currents generated by the water falling from the faucet. When she decided there was enough water in the tub, she shut the water off. Then she very carefully lowered Amanda into the water at the other end of the tub.

Grayson turned to watch Amanda. Her eyes got big. She looked about at the water. She reached out one hand and patted the surface of the water. Then she smiled a huge smile and smacked the water hard! Water flew everywhere! Grayson rubbed water out of his eyes, sputtering. Mama was laughing and trying hard to stay as far away from Amanda as she could, while still holding onto her.

Grayson looked up and saw baba standing in the doorway, his lips quirked up. "How is your experiment going, Nyota?"

"I think you can see how it's going! There is water everywhere!" But mama was still laughing. And Amanda was still smacking the water with her fists, sending it flying all over the bathroom.

"Was this not what you expected?" Grayson looked at baba, who was trying very hard not to smile. Grayson could see his lips twitching. "She does like her bath. The small pan you have been using to bathe her in is usually empty before she is clean."

"Well, yes, that's why I wanted to put her in here. But, oh, my, she can really splash a lot of water! I'm drenched."

"Indeed you are. Most delectable."

Mama turned to baba. "Next time it's your turn and I get to stand in the door and make admiring noises."

"I have no objection to that." Now baba was really smiling, Grayson could see. That is, he could see until Amanda smacked the water again, sending it sheeting into his eyes. Amanda was laughing out loud, she was so happy.

"Mama, mama, can you please make Amanda stop splashing water in my eyes?"

"Oh, little boy, if I could, I would, but I don't know how to make her understand. Just turn around and face the other way, okay?"

Mama got the little bottle of bath gel and squirted some in his hand so that he could make suds on his body and then she squirted some in her hand and began to rub it all over Amanda. Amanda wiggled and squirmed and shrieked with glee, making Grayson clap his hands over his ears. "She is very loud, mama."

"Oh, my, yes, she is. I'm sorry Grayson. She's still little. Soon she will start learning." mama started rinsing the suds off of Amanda, gently tossing handfuls of water on her. Amanda loved this and was soon trying to do what mama was doing. Suddenly mama shrieked and baba came quickly over to the edge of the tub. Mama's shirt was sopping wet and dripping down into the tub. Baba looked at her, his lips twitching, his eyes shining, and then started to laugh. And then they were all laughing.

Baba stood up and got a towel and mama picked Amanda up out of the water and handed her to him. He wrapped her in the towel and held her while she babbled at him, waving her arms in the air and patting his face. "I believe she enjoyed this very much."

"Yes, well, next time I may have to get in the tub with her. I certainly couldn't get any wetter."

Grayson giggled at the thought of mama in the tub with Amanda. That would be funny. Mama flipped the stopper so that the water started to run out and got another towel for him. She lifted him over the edge of the tub and stood him on the soft rug and wrapped him in the towel. Then she stood up and got another towel for herself.

Grayson looked around. There was water all over the floor. Even his little stairs were wet. Amanda could make BIG splashes.


	30. Chapter 30:Control is Elusive

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty - Control is Elusive**

**Late October, 2271 **

Grayson sat on the floor in the playroom, waiting for baba to give him instructions. Amanda was laying on the floor, with baba sitting on one side of her, and mama on the other. When baba nodded his head, Grayson flew his little shuttle over in front of Amanda's face, then across the room, then back in front of Amanda. Then he flew it around on the other side of him, where Amanda could not see it. Mama smiled at him and he turned the little shuttle off. Amanda looked at him and fussed. When no one did anything, she fussed a little louder. When he did not make the little shuttle fly again, suddenly he felt that _push_. He gasped, oh, it was stronger this time!

Baba reached out immediately and put one finger against Amanda's temple and mama leaned over and said "No, Amanda. You mustn't do that." Amanda blinked and looked first at mama and then at baba. She looked very startled. But the_ push_ stopped.

Mama and baba straightened up. Now baba nodded again, and once more Grayson flew his little shuttle around. Once more he felt the _push_ and clapped his hands to his forehead. At once, baba had his fingers on Amanda's face and mama was speaking very firmly to her. "Amanda, do not hurt your brother. It is not nice to make people hurt. You must stop that Amanda, right now."

Amanda reared up on her arms, looking from one parent to the other. Her little face puckered up and she let out a loud yowl. Mama grimaced and kept right on talking. "Amanda, that is much too loud. Stop right now. That hurts my ears. Be nice Amanda." baba had his fingers on her cheek and temple and a look of intense concentration on his face.

Amanda whimpered, dropping back down to the floor. She laid her face on the floor cloth and sobbed. Mama reached over and rubbed her back and baba stroked the side of her face. But there was no more piercing shriek and no more _push_ that evening.

***

It was bathtime. Grayson had a different toy in the bath tonight. It was a bright yellow bird that floated on the water. When Sasha had given it to him, she had called it a 'duckie'. Baba said 'duck' was the correct name. Whatever it was called, Grayson loved it. When you squeezed it, it made a funny noise, and it floated on the water, bobbing and twisting when he moved the water with his hands. Amanda watched it, and then she reached out her hands, opening and closing them. He knew what that meant - she wanted his little yellow duckie. He was not going to give her his duckie. This was his favorite bath toy. Very soon he felt that push and she was screeching at him. Mama started talking to her right away, telling her to behave, that it was not nice to screech like that. Baba came over from the doorway and knelt down beside the tub, laying his fingers on Amanda's face and focusing on her. After a minute, she stopped, her lower lip quivering. A big tear trembled in one eye.

Grayson looked around and found little sponge that he liked to play with and ducked it in the water to get it wet. He held it out to Amanda, squeezing it so that the water ran out. Amanda looked at him, not understanding. He ducked the sponge in the water again and then held it over her hands and squeezed. She laughed at him. He wet the sponge again and handed it to her and she squeezed and laughed at the water ran out, all over her tummy. He turned back around and started playing with his duckie again and she began to squeal and wave her arms. Baba and mama immediately started chastising her again. This was exhausting!

When he and Amanda were all dry and wearing clean pajamas, he climbed into baba's lap for storytime while mama nursed Amanda. He patted baba on the cheek and waited until he turned his head down so that Grayson could see his face. "How long is it going to take for her to learn, baba?"

"I do not know Grayson. If she could talk to us, it would help, but she is too young yet. You are being very patient with her and we are grateful."

"I am trying, baba, but when she shrieks, it hurts my ears, and when she pushes, it hurts my head."

"I do know, Grayson. We are trying to teach her."

"Did I do that when I was little, baba?"

Baba sighed. "No, Grayson, you did not. We are having to learn how to deal with this."

Grayson thought for a moment. "Have you asked sa'mekh'al and to'zot'al Selek for help?"

"Not yet, but that seems like a very good idea. If we cannot teach her control soon, I shall have to do so."

Grayson snuggled back against baba and held up the book he had chosen. Baba wrapped his arms around him and opened the book. When he started to read, mama smiled. She liked this book, too. When it came to the part of the story where the grandmother sang a lullaby, mama started to sing. Grayson lay against baba's warmth and listened to mama's singing and drifted off to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31:Big Letters and Little Letter

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-one - Big Letters and Little Letters**

**early November, 2271 **

Grayson sat at the table beside mama, practicing his letters. There was something that was puzzling him and finally he laid down his stylus and patted her arm. "Mama, can I ask a question?"

"Of course, Grayson, what do you need?"

"Why are there big letters and little letters? Wouldn't one set be enough?"

"Ah, so now we have a new lesson. When do you use big letters and when do you use little letters? Do you know?"

"No, mama, I don't know. Will you tell me?"

Mama picked up the storybook that was laying on the table. It was one of the very first storybooks that he had ever had and the words in it were very simple. He could read all of the first two pages already. "Look here at the words on the page. Remember how we talked about sentences?"

"Oh, yes. A sentence tells a thought."

"That's right. And how do we know where a sentence starts and where it ends?"

Grayson looked at the page. "A sentence ends with a period or a question mark. These sentences end with periods. There is one on the next page that ends with a question mark. I know those symbols."

"Yes, you do. So you know how to tell where a sentence ends. How can you tell the beginning?"

He looked at the page again. Suddenly it made sense. "Oh, mama! Every sentence begins with a big letter!"

"That's right. Now big letters are used at the beginning of other things as well. Some kinds of words always start with a big letter. Can you look at this page and figure out what those words are?"

Grayson looked hard. He looked for words which were not at the beginning of a sentence that started with a big letter. "Oh! There is one! That is Jack, the name of the little boy in the story." He poked his lower lip with his finger, thinking. "Do names start with big letters?"

"Very good. Yes, the names of people and important things start with big letters. Important things might be the name of a city or a planet or even a starship."

"Like Enterprise?"

"Yes, that's it exactly."

"So Amanda and Grayson always start with big letters."

"Yes they do. And so do words that stand in for names."

Grayson looked at her puzzled. "What do you mean, mama?"

"Well, what is my name?"

"S'chn T'gai Nyota Uhura. Do all four of those words start with big letters?"

"Yes, they do. But that's not what you call me, is it?"

"No, mama, I call you mama." Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Some words start with small letters sometimes and big letters other times! When I talk to you and call you Mama, it starts with a big letter!"

She reached over and ruffled his hair. "That is exactly right. And you used your logic to figure it all out. Your Baba will be very proud of you."

Grayson grinned at her. Rules about big letters and little letters were interesting, but he still thought it would be much simpler with only one set.


	32. Chapter 32:Baba's Hurt!

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-two - Baba's Hurt!**

**Mid November, 2271 **

Grayson was playing in the sandbox with Grrel and Sam when he heard Amanda shriek at the top of her lungs. He heard it with his ears and in his head, too. In almost the same instant, he was hit with a terrible pain in his right leg. He screamed and clutched his leg. Miss Betty came running over. "Grayson, what's wrong?" She picked him up and held him and he sobbed and clutched at her.

"Baba, Baba!" He could not say anything else. He continued to scream, pounding his head against her shoulder.

Miss Suzy came running in from the infant room, Amanda in her arms. "She's shrieking and screaming and woke all the other babies up! I can't find anything wrong. What's happening?" She stared at Grayson with wide eyes.

Miss Betty looked at the two hysterical children and made a quick decision. "Into my office, where we can close the door, before every child in the place becomes hysterical." The two women hurried to get behind the door, which would muffle at least part of the noise being produced. Miss Betty sat down behind her desk and pressed the panic button on her comlink. "Day Care to Bridge."

A warm male voice answered. "This is Captain Kirk. What's the problem in day care?"

"This is the manager of the toddler room and I have the manager of the infant room with me. We need either Commander Spock or Lieutenant Uhura down here as soon as possible. Both of their children are hysterical and screaming and we can't get them to stop."

There was a brief pause, and then Kirk started to speak again. "I'm afraid I can't send either of them down there right now. Commander Spock was just beamed up directly to Sick Bay after being injured on a mission, and Lieutenant Uhura is there with him. How long ago did this start?"

"Less than five minutes ago, but they have been screaming continuously since then. How badly is he injured?"

"I don't know. I haven't had a report from sick bay yet. Hold on, here it comes."

Over the open com link, they could hear Dr McCoy's voice. "Okay, I've got him. He's got a concussion and a few cracked ribs and a bad wound in his right leg. We're going into surgery in just a minute. None of this looks life-threatening, just painful. Lieutenant Uhura says he definitely has a concussion and she's trying to keep him calm until we can get him sedated. No one else was hurt. Apparently he killed whatever animal that was that attacked before it could get to anyone else. I'll get back to you as soon as the surgery's over. McCoy out."

When McCoy started to talk, Grayson's head turned to the comlink. His screams faltered, and he listened carefully, tear still streaming down his face. He continued to sob softly, holding tightly to Miss Betty.

Kirk's voice came through the comlink again. "I can hear the baby, still screaming. Grayson, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Unca Jim, I hear you. My Baba is hurt."

"Yes, he is, little boy. But McCoy is going to fix him all up. And your Mama is there with him. I'm going to send Pavel down there to help take care of you, now, okay? Can you be brave for Pavel?"

"Yes, Unca Jim. I can do that."

"Okay, he is on his way. Try to get your sister to stop screaming, okay?"

"I will try." He looked across the desk at Amanda, still shrieking. And then he looked up as the door opened and Pavel came into the room, almost running. He held out his arms and Pavel picked him up, hugging him close.

"It's all right, Grayson. McCoy will fix him. And ve haf to get Amanda to stop screaming." Pavel walked back around the desk and knelt down beside Miss Suzy. "Amanda, Amanda, please listen to me. Here is Pavel. Please stop crying."

Grayson reached out and patted Amanda on the back, trying to help. Suddenly, he felt the pain in his leg lessen tremendously, fading to a soft ache. His tense body relaxed and he heard Amanda's shrieks quieten. She remained sobbing, but the ear-piercing screams had stopped.

Pavel looked confused. "Vhat did ve do to make her stop?"

"The pain went away. I think that's what it was."

Pavel looked at him. "You could feel your Baba's vound?"

Grayson nodded his head, fingers in his mouth. He snuggled up tighter against Pavel, almost throwing the young man off balance. Pavel looked over his head to the two women. This was totally unexpected.

Miss Betty got up. "Now that they're quieter, why don't we go out where the rocking chairs are? That should be more comfortable for you."

Pavel rose up off the floor and followed her, sitting down in one of the rocking chairs with Grayson on his lap. He held out his arms, and Miss Suzy handed Amanda to him as well. When she realized who was holding her, she gave a tiny sob and snuggled up against his chest. With one arm wrapped around Amanda, and the other around Grayson, Pavel began to rock and sing softly to them, one of the Russian lullabies that he sang to them when he baby-sat. After several minutes, the two children began to relax and their sobs faded even more. The two frazzled women returned to their regular duties.

***

A long hour later, the com chime sounded and Miss Betty answered it. There was Lieutenant Uhura. "I understand that my children caused a problem earlier."

Miss Betty shook her head. "Apparently, when Command Spock was injured, they felt the pain he experienced. They were not prepared for that and became very upset. The captain sent Ensign Chekov down here and he has them in a rocking chair and they are quiet. I think perhaps when they sedated the Commander for his surgery the overpowering pain went away."

Nyota stared back at her. "I'm so sorry they caused such a commotion. I had no idea that would happen. I'll come and get them, bring them here to see him. It will be just a few minutes."

Miss Betty nodded at her and went to check on the two children. She took Amanda carefully from Pavel and changed her diaper, then gave her back, just as Nyota entered the day care center. Grayson jumped down and went running to her and she hugged him tight. "I'm going to take you to see Baba, but you must be quiet."

"Yes, Mama, I will be very quiet."

"Okay, let's get Amanda." But Pavel was already standing up from the rocking chair, Amanda settled back on his shoulder.

"I am ready, let us go." She gave him a quick squeeze and they started down the corridor. When they got to sick bay, McCoy met them and ushered them into a different room.

"I put him over here, where it's more private. He's about to come out of the anesthetic, but he may be unsure of where he is and disoriented at first."

"Thanks, Len. You're the best." She squeezed his hand and went on into the room, settling down in the chair already placed beside the biobed. Pavel followed and carefully handed Amanda down to her.

When Spock opened his eyes, there they were, watching him. His lips quirked up slightly. "I am not dead, then."

Nyota grinned back. "Absolutely not. Although it was hard to convince your children of that for a short while, I am told."

One slanted eyebrow rose high. "Indeed?"

"Yes, indeed, but we will talk about that later. Right now I need you to convince them that you are much better, so that I can send them home to rest. Pavel is calling Sasha right now and they are going to take care of them for us until I can get you back home."

Grayson stood up in Mama's lap and leaned over, so that he could touch Baba. Baba was just as warm as always. Grayson gave a big sigh and relaxed. Then he looked at all the bandages on Baba's leg. "Does it still hurt, Baba?"

"Not like it did, Grayson. There is still some pain, but it will pass soon. You must be careful, though, not to bump my leg, or my ribs, for a few days, while they finished healing."

Grayson nodded, face earnest. "I will be very careful, Baba. And I will tell Amanda, too."

Spock reached out with his closest hand, and caressed his son's serious face. "You are a good big brother. I am proud of you."

Now Grayson grinned brightly. "Thank you, Baba."

Amanda had heard her Baba's voice and was waving her arms wildly. Nyota put her arm around Grayson and lifted him down to the floor so that she could rise and hold Amanda up over Spock, so that he could touch her, too. Amanda babbled at him, happy now.

When Pavel and Sasha came into the room, Nyota handed the children over to them. "They haven't had any supper yet."

"You must not worry about them. We have taken care of them often enough that we know what to do. You just worry about that stubborn man there."

The eyebrow rose again. "Stubborn? That is a human trait. Vulcans are not stubborn."

All three of the other adults laughed loudly.


	33. Chapter 33:Helping Baba Heal

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-three - Helping Baba Heal**

**Mid November, 2271 **

Grayson heard someone at the door and jumped up off the couch. Who could that be? The door swooshed open and there was Mama, and behind her there was a big bed on wheels and on the bed was BABA! Grayson jumped up and down in excitement. Mama pressed the button on the wall that kept the door open and the two men in medical blue pushed the bed on wheels into the living area. When they were completely inside, she let go of the button.

Grayson ran to the side of the bed, looking up at Baba. Oh, it was so good to have Baba back home! Mama came and lifted him up, so that he could see Baba's face. Baba's lips quirked up at him and he reached out one hand to touch Grayson, who grinned from ear to ear. And then Mama moved back, out of the way, and the men wheeled the bed into Mama and Baba's bedroom. Grayson held onto Mama and watched as the men pulled back the covers on the bed and arranged the pillows against the wall, adding some that they took from the shelf under the bed. Then they lifted Baba by the cloth that covered the wheeled bed and moved him to his own bed. They positioned him so that he was leaning back against all those pillows. Then they whisked out the cloth they had lifted him on and put it back on the wheeled bed. They tucked the blankets up around his waist and turned, pushing the wheeled bed back into the living area. One of them stopped and handed several things to Mama, explaining what they were. She giggled at one of them, but Grayson didn't know why. Then she held the door open again while they moved the wheeled bed out into the corridor, and then she was moving quickly back to the bedroom, Grayson pulling and tugging at her to hurry, hurry, Mama.

Pavel and Sasha were standing there, talking to Baba, and then they turned to Mama and Sasha hugged her. "You call us if you need any help at all." Mama smiled back at her and then moved closer to the bed as they left the room. Grayson leaned way over, trying to reach Baba, and Mama grabbed him as she struggled for balance.

"Hey, wait, Grayson! You'll make me fall over! I'm going to put you down there." And she did, setting him between the wall and Baba, on the side where he was not injured. Grayson snuggled up against Baba's warmth and Baba wrapped his arm around him. Grayson sat there, grinning widely, while Mama and Baba talked. And then Mama went into the playroom and came back with Amanda, who babbled and waved her arms when she saw her father. Mama sat her right down on Grayson's lap and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. And then Mama crawled up the bed, right on the edge against the wall, and snuggled up, too. Everyone was all cuddled up together and it was wonderful.

***

After a while, Amanda started to fuss and Mama got up and changed her diaper. And then the door chime sounded. Mama went to see who it was and there was Unca Jim with a cart with supper on it. He pushed it right into the bedroom and up against the bed. Then he brought two chairs in and sat them around the cart. He picked Grayson up off the bed and sat him on one of the chairs and lifted the lid off one of the plates. Macaroni and cheese! Grayson gave Unca Jim a big grin and started to eat. Mama reached her free arm around Unca Jim's shoulders and gave him a hug, and then let him hold Amanda while she fussed about, putting a pillow on Baba's lap and tucking a napkin into the neck of his shirt before setting his plate on the pillow and handing him a knife and fork. She sat down in the other chair and Unca Jim handed Amanda back to her. She sat Amanda on one leg and uncovered her own supper. "Jim! You have been paying attention to what we eat! Oh, thanks so much."

"Do you need someone to bring breakfast in the morning?"

"No, we can manage with the synthesizer. Thanks for asking."

"Well, I'll get out of your hair and let you eat while the food's hot." He turned to Spock. "And you follow orders. I want you both back on the bridge, but I want you completely healed. So follow doctor's orders."

Spock looked at him, his lips quirking up. "I do not believe that I shall be allowed to disregard them in any way. I have already been warned."

Jim laughed and leaned over to clap him on the shoulder, then turned and left. For some time there was not much talking as the food was quickly consumed. Amanda kept waving her hands and trying to get Mama's food, so as soon as she was through eating, she fed Amanda her cereal and applesauce. Then she sat Amanda back on the bed while she stacked up all the dishes on the cart and wheeled it out into the corridor. She left the chairs where they were and sat down in one of them.

"Is there anything you need?" She was looking right at Baba.

"I cannot think of anything at the moment."

"Are you in any pain at all? And don't try to hide it from me."

"There is still discomfort in my ribs. They are tender. As long as I do not stretch them very much it is not bothersome." He was quiet, avoiding Mama's eyes. When she just sat there, not saying anything, but looking straight at him, eventually he sighed. "Yes, there is pain in my leg. It is much less than yesterday. However, I have no intentions of trying to walk on it. That would be extremely uncomfortable. I will stay in the bed today."

"And tomorrow. And the next day until McCoy gets here to check you over. And then it will depend on what he says."

"Nyota, I can ascertain when my leg has healed sufficiently to bear my weight."

"Listen here, mister, I want that leg back to 100 percent efficiency and that means following doctor's orders to the letter! You're not getting out of that bed for any reason until McCoy says you can." Mama's eyes were glaring now.

Grayson's eyes went from one parent to the other. He seldom heard them disagree with each other and never with raised voices. He gently patted Baba's cheek. Baba turned his head slowly. "Yes, Grayson?"

"Baba, you must listen to the doctor. He will make you well, but you must do as he says. We want you well, Baba."

Baba sighed a big sigh. "I am outvoted and overpowered. What is a man to do ?"

Mama laughed out loud. "Oh, you are such a big baby! But I love you anyway."

Grayson giggled. "And I love you, too, Baba." Amanda waved her arms and squealed. "And Amanda loves you as well."

Baba quirked his lips. "It is very gratifying to hear these things. Now perhaps someone will bring me something to read while I lay here suffering."

Grayson scrambled down off the bed and ran into the other room, coming back with one of Baba's technical journals and a storybook. "Which would you prefer, Baba?"

Mama giggled and looked at Baba. "Well you didn't specify, did you?"

"No I did not. Come, Grayson, we will have a story. And then I will read my journal while you practice your letters."

That sounded like an excellent idea to Grayson, who wasted no time climbing back up on the bed. Mama went to change Amanda into her pajamas and came back to sit in the chair and nurse her and listen to Baba reading the story.


	34. Chapter 34:Baba's Getting Better

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-four - Baba's Getting Better**

**Late November, 2271 **

Grayson peeked around the corner of the doorway into Mama and Baba's bedroom. McCoy was there, checking Baba out. He and Baba were playing that game they always played, pretending to be angry with one another. But McCoy's eyes were twinkling and Baba's lips were quirked up, so Grayson knew they weren't really mad at each other. McCoy had something shiny and silver in his hand and ran it up and down just above Baba's body. First he ran it over the back of Baba's head, and then he ran it over Baba's ribs, and last he ran it over Baba's leg.

"Well, I think your hard skull is all healed. I thought there might be a hairline fracture there, but I can't find any sign of it now. Your ribs are good, and the stress on the tendons has been relieved, so I'm guessing you don't feel any more tenderness there. Although goodness knows, you wouldn't tell me if there was. But the leg, damn it man, why didn't you complain about this? There's a big spot there that has to be an infection. It almost looks like there is a small piece of something way down in the muscle. I'm probably going to have to open you back up and fish it out. And the muscle's been healing so nicely. Dammit!" He stepped back from the bed and sat down heavily in the chair there, staring at Spock.

Spock leaned his head back against the pillows and exhaled sharply. "I only realized this morning, when most of the pain had dissipated, that there was this one area that was not responding to my healing instructions. I believe your assessment is correct. It would appear that the tip end of the horn from that animal may still be embedded in my leg. Most probably in the outer layer of the bone. Although I do not relish another surgery, it is almost certainly the only way to clear this up." His face looked drawn.

McCoy heaved a big sigh and flipped out his communicator. "McCoy here, in Commander Spock's quarters. Send the gurney back up and prepare the small operating room. Out." He looked at his friend. "Sorry, I know this will set your recovery back a few days, but if we don't do this now, it will only get worse."

Grayson did not wait any longer, but went running into Amanda's room, where Mama was changing her diaper. "Mama, Mama, McCoy is taking Baba back to sick bay!"

"What? Are you sure, Grayson?"

"Yes, Mama, he said he needed to do more surgery."

Nyota picked up Amanda and headed across the apartment, almost running. She burst into the bedroom and stood there, looking at the two men. "What's wrong?"

McCoy sighed. "There's something down in the leg wound that we missed and it's causing an infection. We have to go in and clean it out. It won't take very long and there's almost no danger. But it's absolutely necessary. Why don't you call up your babysitters and get them over here?"

Mama sat Amanda down beside Baba, who wrapped his arm around her. Then she picked up Grayson and sat him beside Amanda. And then she turned and headed for the com link, not saying another word. Grayson could hear her talking to Sasha, and then she was back again, looking at Baba, her face all tight.

Sasha and Pavel showed up very soon after that, just before the two men with the bed on wheels. They took Grayson and Amanda into the playroom and kept them occupied while the men put Baba on the wheeled bed. Mama came in and hugged them both, and whispered to Grayson. "Baba's going to be fine. McCoy's going to fix the problem. Don't worry."

Grayson hugged Mama and patted her cheek. But he didn't know what to say.

***

The com link chimed some time later and Pavel went to answer it. He returned to the playroom smiling. "Dey have removed de tip of de horn dat was embedded in his leg bone. He vill be vaking up in a few minutes. And he vill be coming back home in anoder hour or two."

Grayson grinned happily. That was such good news!

***

When the men brought Baba back home, Grayson could not help dancing around the room, he was so excited. Mama was smiling again and even Baba looked better. He heard Baba telling Pavel that the horn fragment had been pressing on a nerve and causing continual pain, which was now gone.

And over the next few days, Baba got much better. McCoy came and checked him again and said he could walk around inside the apartment, but only for a few minutes at a time the first day. And to stop immediately if there was any pain. After McCoy left, Mama came and flipped the covers back and helped Baba stand up. He stood there for a moment, as if he were relearning his balance, and then took a few tentative steps. When he stopped, Mama was right there, wrapping his arm over her shoulder. Slowly and carefully they walked into the living area and she helped Baba down onto the couch, easing him slowly, so that he did not hurt his leg. Then she got the big pillow and put it under his foot, so that his leg was supported.

Grayson ran and brought the blanket from under the table on the other end of the couch, and Mama covered Baba up with it. And then Grayson ran to get a storybook and climbed up on the couch to read a story to Baba. Baba's eyes twinkled at him, and he ruffled Grayson's hair like Mama did. When Grayson came to a word he did not know, Baba helped him to sound it out. Mama sat at the desk and smiled up at them from time to time. When Amanda woke from her nap, she brought her in and sat down on the other end of the couch. Amanda waved her arms and babbled loudly. "Ba, Ba!"

Mama laughed at her. "Yes, that's your Baba." Amanda grinned and wiggled, almost like she was trying to dance. Grayson laughed out loud. This was much better. Much, much better.


	35. Chapter 35:Real Words

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-five - Real Words**

**Early December, 2271 **

Amanda was laying on the floor cloth in the playroom. Somehow all the toys had gotten away from her and were just out of her reach. She was frustrated. She waved her arms and made little noises, but no one came running to see what she wanted. She could just see Grayson, in his room, doing something, she couldn't tell what. Mama and Baba were in the other room, behind her. She flailed her arms and legs, to no avail. Now she was getting upset.

"Ga! Ga!" She tried to call Grayson, but he did not understand.

She wasn't wet. She wasn't hungry. She just wanted a toy. Or someone to hold her. Or something. Baba was walking again, he could come and play with her. "Ba! Ba!"

She rocked back and forth on her tummy. Where were they? "Ma! Ma!" No one responded.

"Baba! Mama! Gaga!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Grayson came running out of his room. He knelt down beside her. "Amanda! You said words!" He patted her head. "Say it again, Amanda!"

Why didn't he give her a toy? "BABAMAMAGAGA!"

"Not so loud, Amanda. Mama will be mad."

Mama came running in. "What's wrong with Amanda?"

"I don't know, Mama, honest. I was in my room doing my letters and she started hollering."

"She's not pushing, is she?"

"No, just loud. And she keeps getting louder. I don't know what she wants."

Mama checked her diaper, but it was dry. She put the back of her hand against Amanda's forehead, but it wasn't hot. She'd just been fed, not fifteen minutes ago, so she couldn't be hungry. What was wrong?

Amanda was really unhappy now. Here were Grayson and Mama and neither one of them was giving her anything to play with! "BABAMAMAGAGA!"

Mama sat back and looked at her. "Amanda, are you trying to say words?"

Amanda looked at her and did that thing with her lips that made all the bubbles fly off. Mama wiped them off her face. "Look baby girl, you need better manners. Why don't you play with your toys for a while?" Mama pulled all the toys right in front of Amanda.

Amanda squealed and chortled with glee. Just what she wanted! "Mama, Mama. Baba. Gaga." she picked up the tiny fuzzy and squeezed it.

Mama sat and looked at her. "You did just say words. I heard that just as plain as day. Spock, come here."

Baba came around the corner, still walking slower than he used to. "Is there a problem?"

"Just listen. Amanda, say words for Mama."

Amanda looked at her. She had her toys, why did she have to say anything now? But Grayson was making faces at her, so she giggled. "Mama. Baba. Gaga."

Baba raised one eyebrow. "Gaga?"

"I think that must be her attempt at Grayson."

Grayson looked at Mama in astonishment. "Gaga? NO, Mama! She can't call me that!"

"Well then, you must teach her how to say your name properly." Mama got up off the floor. "I think what she really wanted was her toys. She had thrown them all out of reach."

Amanda bobbed her head. "Tata. Gaga tata."

Mama looked at her in confusion. "Surely she didn't just say what I think she said."

Baba cocked his head and looked at her. "I think she wants Grayson's toys."

Grayson looked at Amanda. He was going to keep all his toys in the toybox from now on.


	36. Chapter 36:Amanda Bit Me!

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-six - Amanda Bit Me!**

**mid December, 2271 **

Amanda lay on the floor cloth watching Grayson. He was doing something that she didn't understand. He had that little stick thing in his hand again, moving it up and down and around. Why would he do that so much? It made no sense to her. She would much prefer that he come over and play with her. It was almost time that Mama and Baba would come in and play with her, but she wanted someone to play with now. She picked up one of her toys and threw it at him. It bounced to a stop very close to his hand. He looked up in surprise. "GAGA!"

Grayson smiled at his sister. "Just a minute, Amanda. Let me go put my stylus and primer up and then I will come and play with you." He jumped up and ran into his bedroom, laying his things on the dresser. Then he came back and lay down on the floor cloth beside her. "What would you like to do today, Amanda? Shall we roll over? Or would you prefer to play pattacake?"

At the last word, Amanda began to wiggle and giggle, babbling at Grayson. "Pattacake it is then." He sat up, crosslegged on the floor cloth and bent over, putting his hands on her waist. With his tongue poked out the corner of his mouth, he lifted her up carefully, being sure her legs were not twisted before lowering her so that she sat, somewhat precariously, across from him. She grinned widely, smacking her hands together. Grayson grinned back and started chanting the nursery rhyme, patting her hands in the pattern he was trying to teach her. When she started to slip sideways, he grabbed her and straightened her back up, making her chortle with glee.

He started the chant again, patting at her hands and making her crow with pleasure. She reached out and grabbed one of his hands, pulling on it. "Amanda, we can't play if you hold my hands." She waved her hand about, pulling his along with it. He giggled at her.

***

Nyota was just shutting down the comlink, having finished all her reports and correspondence for the day, when she heard Grayson shriek. She jumped up and ran into the playroom. Grayson was holding one hand and crying. Amanda was sitting up across from him, waving her hands and laughing.

"Grayson, what's the matter?"

"Amanda bit me! Right on my finger!" He held up one finger with two bright red marks on it. Nyota took it in her hands carefully and looked at it. Definitely tooth marks, but the skin was not broken. She sighed heavily. Something else they were going to have to teach her. And if she was biting like that, she was almost certainly going to be weaned, very soon.

Spock was right behind her, looking over her shoulder at Grayson's finger. He leaned over and touched the finger gently. "It is not permanently injured, Grayson. It hurts so very much because of all the nerves in the ends of the fingers."

"Yes, Baba, but it hurts very much." Tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Spock sat down on the floor and pulled Grayson into his lap, rocking him gently. He spoke softly into his ear and stroked his hand carefully. Gradually the sobs changed to sniffles and then to hiccups.

Both parents looked at their grinning daughter. How were they going to get through to her? Perhaps it was time to call Sarek after all.


	37. Chapter 37:Amanda, Meet Jilly

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-seven - Amanda, Meet Jilly**

**late December, 2271 **

Nyota buckled Amanda into the bright pink baby carrier and jiggled a little to settle her into place. "Almost time to get the backpack carrier out. She's getting big to carry this way."

Spock came around to check. He tested the straps, checked to see how much remained to let out, and tested how tightly it hung from Nyota's shoulders. "Yes, I believe you are correct. I thought it felt tight, myself, but then I thought perhaps it was just that she was growing. I will get it out of storage tomorrow."

"Don't forget when you pick them up tonight, they will both be in the toddler room."

Spock gave her a chiding look. "Nyota, you know that I will not forget that."

"Well, habits are hard to break sometimes. So I though I would just give you a friendly reminder." She stuck her tongue out at him. Grayson saw that and giggled, clapping his hands over his mouth.

Spock looked down his nose at his son and raised one long slanted eyebrow. "Supporting your mother again? I suppose you shall just have to take the punishment for that." He swooped down and gathered Grayson up and slung him over his shoulder, holding him there with one hand while performing several suss mahna moves while Grayson howled with laughter. When his father spun about in a complete circle, Grayson hung on for dear life. Spock stopped and pulled Grayson up into his arms, looking right into his face. Grayson was still giggling. Spock sighed. "No one respects me in my own family."

By this time, Nyota was laughing as well, not even trying to hide it. "You are totally unconvincing. You might as well give it up."

Spock looked at Grayson and Grayson looked at Spock and they both spoke at once. "Oh, no, never." Even Amanda was laughing now.

Spock set Grayson back on the floor and straightened up his uniform. He leaned over and kissed Nyota and then headed for the door. "Sorry for the early departure, but I do have a meeting."

"I know that you do. I will see you on the bridge." She took Grayson's hand and headed out into the corridor, on her way to the mess hall to eat breakfast with her children.

***

After breakfast, she walked down the corridor to the toddler room. Miss Betty smiled widely at her. "We have both the S'chn T'Gai children starting today, don't we?"

"Indeed you do. I have just weaned Amanda, so she may be a bit fussy. She started biting and I wasn't going to take that."

"I don't blame you a bit. If you find that you weaned her too suddenly for your own comfort, you can bring a bottle or two down here for her. Otherwise, we will follow the feeding plan set up by her doctor."

"That will be fine. She loves her cereal and fruit. And she's not very messy about it any more." Nyota lifted her daughter from the baby carrier and sat her in the small bed that had been prepared. She took off the baby carrier and laid it over the end of the bed. She turned to Grayson. "You can go and play with your friends. You do not have to watch Amanda all day. But you can introduce your friends to her."

Grayson grinned and hugged his mother. "Okay, Mama, I will do that." and he was off across the room, grabbing someone by the hand to pull over to Amanda. Nyota shook her head and laughed and headed for the bridge.

One by one, Grayson brought his friends over and introduced them to his sister, who laughed and clapped her hands and seemed to enjoy the parade of children. When Jilly came in, Grayson hurried right over and brought her to Amanda. "See Jilly, this is my sister. I have been telling you about her."

"So you have. She is very pretty, Grayson." Jilly reached out to touch Amanda and Amanda leaned over until her forehead touched Jilly's through the bars on the side of the crib. Amanda began to croon softly. Jilly smiled. "Hello, Amanda, I'm your new friend Jilly." Amanda patted Jilly's cheek and babbled at her. Jilly patted her back. And then she stepped back and turned to Grayson. "Do you want to get her a fuzzy?"

Grayson thought that was a great idea, so they ran over to the pile of fuzzies and spent some time sorting through them, finally deciding on one. By the time they got back to Amanda, she had plopped down on her tummy and was half asleep. They stuck the fuzzy through the bars of the crib and tip-toed away. Amanda looked at the fuzzy through half-closed eyes and smiled as she pulled it up next to her chest. Fuzzies were nice.


	38. Chapter 38:Visitors Coming

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-eight - Visitors Coming!**

**Mid January, 2272**

Nyota was sitting at the desk, finishing her last report, when the message chime sounded. She quickly saved her working file and pressed the 'accept' button. When the screen lit up with an unexpected face, she squealed in delight. "Durra! Oh, it's so good to hear from you!"

The familiar face smiled back at her, the dimple at the corner of her mouth peeking out. "I thought I might surprise you. This isn't a bad time, is it?"

"Oh, no indeed. I was just finishing my last report and Spock is already in the playroom with the children. We can have a nice little chat."

"Well, unfortunately, I don't have time for a long chat - but...I wanted to tell you that we are ALL going to San Francisco! And other places on Earth as well."

Nyota clapped her hands together. "Durra, are YOU the important ambassadors we are on the way to pick up?"

Durra smiled even wider. "Yes, we are - all of us. So I will be seeing you in just a few days."

Nyota squealed so loud that Spock stuck his head around the doorframe to see what the matter was. On seeing the face in the viewscreen he smiled and came up to lean over Nyota's shoulder to say hello before going back into the other room. Just a few seconds later, Grayson came charging in and scrambled up into Nyota's lap. "Aunt Durra! Hello. When are you coming to visit us?"

"In just a few days, Grayson. Very very soon."

Grayson craned his neck around to look up at his mother. "Does Baba know this?"

"No, I didn't get a chance to tell him. You can go tell him."

Grayson climbed back down to the floor and went racing back into the playroom. "Baba, baba, we are going to have company. Aunt Durra is coming to visit."

Spock looked up from where he had been exercising Amanda. "Did she say this?"

"Yes, yes. In just a few days."

Spock eyes unfocused for just a moment and then he stood, picking Amanda up and carrying her into the other room. He dragged another chair over to the desk. "Durra, is everyone coming?"

Her eyes danced at him. "Yes, yes, the whole family is coming."

"That is very good, because we definitely need help." He sighed.

"Help? What do you need help with?"

"Amanda is a broadcaster and we are having great difficulties teaching her to act with restraint. We were about to call Sarek and ask for assistance. If he and Selek could offer advice and assistance so that we could reach her, teach her, while they are on board, we would be so very grateful."

"I will tell them as soon as I finished with this call. I am sure they will be very pleased to be of assistance. Please don't worry about it. And now turn that little girl around so that I can get a peek at her."

Spock turned Amanda around so that she faced the viewscreen. When she saw a face there, she smiled and waved her arms and began to babble. Durra laughed back at her. "Hello, Amanda. My, my, how you have grown. Oh, I can't wait to get there and hold her." She turned her head to the side. "Oh, my, sorry, I have to go take care of that. I will see you soon. Bye." And she cut off the call, causing the screen to go blank.

Spock looked at Nyota. "This is fortuitous."

"Yes, indeed it is. Oh, I can't wait for them all to get here! It's going to be so nice! Do you suppose we will be taking them all the way to Earth?"

"I do not believe so, but I have not seen the orders yet."

Just then the comlink chimed again. "I assume that is Jim, calling to tell us about our new orders."

The captain was very surprised to see the whole family staring back at him. "What have I done to deserve this honor?" He asked in confusion.

Grayson was very quick to tell him that they were going to have company in a few days. He was very excited. Jim couldn't figure out how he knew, even before the orders had been opened.


	39. Chapter 39:Lessons for Amanda

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Thirty-nine - Lessons for Amanda**

**Mid January, 2272**

Nyota and Grayson stood beside the console in the transporter room, waiting for the visitors to arrive. Grayson was so excited that he was practically jumping up and down. He kept tugging at Nyota's hand and asking how much longer it would be. Finally she told him to please be quiet, that he was making so much noise that Scotty could not hear what the transporter technician on the other ship was saying.

It was only a few minutes later that the swirls started on the pad and it could be seen that there were six figures there. When they had solidified, it was immediately obvious that there were eight. On the two side discs stood tall, silver-haired Vulcan men, each one carrying a small child. On the two back discs stood two attractive human women. On the two front discs stood two young boys, not so much older than Grayson. Their eyes went immediately to him and their lips quirked up in an expression he knew very well. Nyota had to hold tightly to his hand to keep him from running forward.

The two men stepped down and set the children they had been carrying on the floor. Both came immediately to Nyota, who knelt down and hugged them. Then the men lifted the two older boys down to the floor and they came over quickly, joining Grayson, the three heads bent together. Last the two women stepped forward and were helped down. Nyota looked up and squealed with glee. "Durra, you kept a secret from me!"

Durra smiled back at her, glowing. "I guess it's not a secret anymore, then, is it?" Nyota enveloped her in a hug. Then she turned to the other woman and gave her a hug as well.

"It's so nice to have you all here at the same time. Amanda was asleep and Spock had a report to finish up, so they are waiting in our quarters." She looked up just in time to see stacks of luggage materialize. There were two ensigns waiting there who began immediately to lift it down from the pad. She consulted briefly with the women and then walked over to the ensigns. "The luggage with the red tags goes in Guest Suite 3 and the luggage with the blue tags goes in Guest Suit 4." The ensigns nodded and began loading the luggage onto two anti-grav sleds.

Nyota took Grayson by the hand, and he took another hand, and another child took Nyota's other hand. In only a few seconds, there was a chain of children, hanging onto her. She laughed and started off down the corridor, the two couples following her. Several people they passed in the halls stopped in amazement at the sight. Five Vulcan (or part-Vulcan) boys was not a sight often seen on the Enterprise.

When they reached the quarters occupied by Spock and Nyota and their children, she tapped the touch plate and the little boys stormed through, heading directly for the playroom. Cries of 'Hello, Uncle Spock' echoed through the room as they raced past. It was a good thing that Amanda was already awake, for there was no way she would have slept through that!

Amanda watched the four new boys run past with Grayson. Who were they? She wanted them to come back and play with her! She really _wanted _that. Across the room, Sarek and Selek turned their heads quickly in her direction. Sarek spoke first. "I see what you mean. Yes, something must be done quickly to teach her control. It is quite rare to see such a strong ability in one so young. Her language skills are not adequate to understand what we need to teach her."

Selek stroked his chin with one hand. "A challenge, then. Something to make our journey interesting."

Nyota sighed. "You have a very strange definition of interesting." The other two women patted her shoulders gently, commiserating.

All five of the boys stood in the playroom doorway. Grayson looked at his father. "Can you please try to get Amanda to stop that? It hurts our heads."

Spock sighed, much too loud. "We are going to try, Grayson. Believe me, we are going to try."

***

The three men sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounding Amanda, who sat there in the middle looking around with interest. Grayson followed his father's instructions, zooming his little shuttle around in front of Amanda and then away. Every time Amanda_ pushed_ at him, the three men touched her lightly, sending her gentle instructions. She would look around and shake her head and her little face would crumple up. Then Spock would stroke her softly, and talk quietly to her until she was happy again. And then they would start over.

When they had been at this for almost an hour, Nyota came over. "Don't you think that's long enough at a time? She's still just a baby. Let her rest a bit."

The three men looked at each other and nodded. Nyota leaned down and picked Amanda up and carried her over to the couch, where she sat down between the other two women, who both began immediately to talk to Amanda and tickle her. Amanda laughed and waved her arms about, lessons forgotten for the time being. They would be repeated again and again over the course of the next few days.

***

By the time that the visitors were ready to be transferred to the next ship in the chain that would get them to Earth, Amanda had learned simple control. She also understood now that it was not acceptable to bite other people. She could bite her toys or the teething biscuits, but not her brother or her cousins. She knew now how to ask for things, by holding out her hands and making 'grabby' motions, rather than sending out such strong signals. She also understood, just barely, that there were times when it would be all right for her to broadcast strongly. Her lack of language was a definite problem. There would need to be more lessons when they could communicate better with her.

Grayson was definitely unhappy to see his cousins (well, some of them were actually uncles) leave. They had had so much fun together. When everyone was gathered in the transporter bay, the five boys stood in a circle, heads together. It was truly difficult to separate them. Grayson stood behind his parents and waved goodbye, turning sadly when they were gone. Nyota gave him a big hug. "Tomorrow you can go to day care and tell everyone all about their visit."

Grayson cheered up a little. "Yes, I can, can't I?" He should have thought to take them all there to introduce them to his other friends. Why hadn't he thought of that? Maybe next time.


	40. Chapter 40:Music Appreciation

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty - Music Appreciation**

**Late January, 2272**

Nyota lifted Amanda out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel. Balancing her on one leg, she reached down and wrapped her other arm around Grayson and lifted him out to the soft mat on the floor, handing him another towel. She rubbed Amanda all over, being sure she was dry, and then hung the towel up. Grayson was still drying himself. She carried Amanda into her bedroom and put a fresh diaper on her, and then one of her little pink sleepsuits. She was going to have to do some shopping for Amanda very soon, or else she was going to be wearing nothing but Grayson's hand-me-downs.

She poked her head back in the bathroom just in time to take the well-used towel from Grayson, who then ran into his bedroom and pulled his pajamas out of his dresser. She stood in his doorway while he dressed himself and then the three of them headed for the living area, where she would hear Spock tuning his ka'athyra. She sat down on the other end of the couch and Grayson scrambled up to nestle up against her. One arm around each child, she leaned back to listen.

Spock started with some Vulcan folk tunes, fairly vibrant. And then he played something very classical sounding, but she couldn't place exactly what it was. And then he started on the lullabies. By the time he had finished, both children were sound asleep. He laid his ka'athyra down carefully and came and took Grayson, carrying him into his bed. And then he came back for Amanda, carrying her to her own room.

When he came back, he settled down and began to play again, soft romantic songs this time. Nyota leaned back against the couch and smiled at him until he put the instrument aside for the last time that night and carried her off to their bed.

***

The next day, while they were eating breakfast in the mess hall, Grayson asked him a question. "How old were you when your sa'mekh started teaching you to play the ka'athyra, Baba?"

"I was four years old, Grayson."

Grayson though very hard. "I will be four years old in August."

"Indeed you will."

"Will you start teaching me then?"

"If I can obtain a child-sized ka'athyra for you. I do not know whether this is possible any longer. I will start searching."

Grayson nodded his head. If Baba said he would search, then he would. Grayson did not need to worry about it.


	41. Chapter 41:All Across the Floor

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-one - All Across the Floor**

**Mid February, 2272**

Nyota sat Amanda down on the floor cloth and set several toys out around her and went back to her desk to finish that last pesky report. As she sat down, she noticed that Spock was processing messages, so he was almost finished for the night. Grayson was sprawled on the floor, tracing glyphs in his Vulcan primer. She focused on her task, eager to get finished and go play with her children.

Amanda looked at the toys that Mama had put out for her. None of them looked at all interesting tonight. She really wanted Mama and Baba to come and play with her. But they were both sitting at the big table-thing with the funny little boxes with pictures on them. That meant they were _working_. Grayson had taught her that word. If they were _working_, you mustn't bother them. She heaved a big sigh.

And Grayson was not even in here with her. Where was he? She swiveled her head around looking for him. She couldn't see him anywhere. Where was he? She leaned over and twisted her legs around until she was flat on her tummy, with her arms pushed up. Then she wiggled and squirmed until she had turned in a full circle and the floor cloth was all wrinkled up, but she still couldn't see him.

Well! Everyone else must be in the big room. And she was in here all by herself. Her lower lip pushed out and she gave a little whimper. She wanted someone to play with. She pushed herself up and bent her knees, rocking back and forth. There was a big wrinkle under one knee and it didn't feel good, so her moved her knee forward until it bumped into her arm. She moved her arm forward to get it out of the way of her knee. Now she was not balanced right, so she moved her other arm forward, even with the first. That left one knee way behind, so she moved it next. Now she was balanced again. But something weird had happened. She had moved forward! She looked around, thinking about what she had done. Could she do that again? If she did, where would she go? She looked at the doorway into the big room. Could she get there?

She concentrated very hard and began to move again, first her hands, and then her knees. No, that wasn't right. That left her very spread out and feeling like she might fall. Okay, try moving the hand and knee on the same side and then the others. Well, that worked, but she was swinging from side to side and it made her dizzy. She stopped for a minute and thought about this. What had she done before? Well, first the right knee and the left hand, and then the left knee and the right hand. Okay, that was better. A big grin lit her face. Let's try that again. And she was off.

Grayson felt something pat his foot and he looked down. There was Amanda! He laughed and sat up. Nyota lifted her eyes to see what he was laughing at and saw her daughter sitting there grinning. How had she gotten in here? She turned and Spock was sitting there with both eyebrows raised. "Perhaps it is time to put the baby gate back up?"

"I think you're right. She's going to be everywhere."

On the floor, Grayson was lifting his primer as high as he could, trying to keep it out of Amanda's grasp. Nothing was going to be safe now.


	42. Chapter 42:Barrier

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-two - Barrier**

**Late February, 2272**

Nyota sat and played with Amanda to entertain her while Pavel and Spock worked at re-installing the baby gate. Grayson was 'helping' - he was holding tools and passing them over as requested. And when they got to the very last screw, Spock put the sonic screwdriver in Grayson's hands and cupped his around the outside and gave directions and Grayson put the button until the screw was completely seated. The blazing look on her son's face was priceless, and the one on Spock's face was almost as good.

The tools were put away and Pavel said his goodbyes. Nyota rose and handed Amanda to Spock, who sat her on the floor cloth. And then he stepped over onto this side and they moved out of sight.

Amanda looked around. There were toys and Mama had given her a yummy, but Grayson had gone into his room and she was all alone again. She could hear Mama and Baba talking, but she couldn't see them. She plopped over onto her stomach and wiggled around until she was up on her hands and knees and then took off towards Grayson's room. But when he saw her coming, he quickly closed his door. She was on the outside with no way to get in. Her lower lip stuck out and she gave a little whimper, but he did not open his door.

Fine, then, she would go find Mama and Baba. She crawled back across the room, to the door into the other big room, and found something in her way. What was this! She reached up one hand and patted it. It was hard, whatever it was. She crawled down the side of it, until she got to the wall. There wasn't any way to get around this end, at all. She crawled back down the side of it until she got to the other wall. There wasn't any way to get around this end, either. She went back to the middle and plopped down on her bottom, reaching out to grab hold of the heavy thing that was in her way.

And then she began to pull on it and yell. In no time at all, Grayson popped out of his room and came running over. "Amanda, stop! You are too loud."

She turned her face to him and babbled angrily. "GAGA! Mama, Baba!"

"Yes, Mama and Baba are in the office working. You must play quietly until they are done and then they will come and play with you, just like every day." Grayson sat down beside her. "Do you want to play pattacake?"

Amanda looked at him. She liked pattacake. Maybe she would play a while. But she still didn't like that heavy thing in the door.


	43. Chapter 43:I Use My Hands

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-three - I Use My Hands**

**Mid March, 2272**

Nyota set Amanda down on the playroom side of the baby gate and handed her a teething biscuit. Then she went back to finish the report she had interrupted to change her diaper and feed her her cereal and applesauce. It should only take a few more minutes to finish. About the time she sent it off to the captain, Spock and Grayson came in the door. Grayson was laughing and giggling, slung over Spock's shoulder.

"Well, you two look like you've been having fun." She grinned at them. "What did you do today, Grayson?"

"I did the whole first kata! And Baba said it was good! And then I practiced falling and rolling on the big trampoline."

Nyota grinned at him, still upside down over his father's shoulder. "And did your father get on the trampoline as well?"

Spock rolled his eyes, but Grayson gave him away. "Oh, yes, Mama, he jumped very high and did a belly flop!"

Nyota laughed and stood right in front of Spock, grinning up at him. "You know you have as much fun with that as he does."

"I must show him proper technique so that he does not harm himself."

"Right. You just keep telling yourself that. I'm sure Jim and Bones and Scotty believe that too." She stretched up and kissed him and then stepped around him to tickle her helpless son, who tried to roll up into a ball, laughing and giggling. Spock set him down on the floor and turned on her.

"They would believe me if you did not spread stories." His eyes were twinkling at her as he grabbed her up and flung her into the place where Grayson had just been. Grayson rolled on the floor, holding his tummy.

Amanda could hear all the noise, the laughter and she knew that everyone else was in the other big room. She was here all by herself. She crawled over to the big strong thing that blocked the door and grabbed it with both hands, pulling on it. To her surprise, although the big thing did not move, she did! Her bottom came up off the floor and she was hanging, suspended by her hands from the big thing. She bent her knees and bounced. She moved first one hand and then the other closer to the top of the big thing. She stamped her feet, but no one paid any attention.

"MAMA! BABA! GAGA! OUTOUTOUT!"

All the noise stopped. Footsteps approached and there stood Baba, with Mama slung over his shoulder. Mama pounded on Baba's back and told him to put her down so that she could see, and Baba did. And there was Grayson, peeking around one of Baba's legs. Amanda bounced again, squealing with delight. "Mama! Baba! Gaga! OUT!"

Spock tilted his head. "I believe she has a new word."

Nyota looked at her daughter. "One I am very sure that we are going to tire of hearing very soon."


	44. Chapter 44:Dancing with Mama

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-four - Dancing with Mama**

**Late March, 2272**

Nyota had housework to do. She really, really hated housework. She heaved a big sigh. Might as well get started. She went to the music player and popped in her favorite disc of fast, lively music. Soon she was moving around the apartment, dancing as she went, picking up odds and ends that had been left out and putting them up where they belonged. And then she straightened up the contents of the cabinet under the food synthesizer, where they kept tea and other things that did not come from the synthesizer, but must be purchased when they were on shore leave. They were getting fairly low on tea, actually. Surely it would be time for them to take some leave soon?

Then she started straightening out the closet and the dresser drawers. Well, Spock's didn't need to be straightened out, but hers surely did. When she finished that, she stepped over the baby gate and went into Amanda's room, straightening out her drawers and changing the sheets on her bed. Then into Grayson's room to change his sheets. She gathered up the sheets and dumped them over the baby gate. And then she changed the towels in the bathroom and dumped those over the baby gate as well. Almost done.

She stepped over the baby gate and went into their bathroom and changed the towels there, bringing the used ones out to add to the pile. And then she changed the sheets on their bed. That pile was getting big. She gathered it all up and moved it over in front of the closet. There was no way she could carry all that herself. She would have to ask Spock. She sighed. Well, she had taken all the clothing down, surely he could get the bedding and towels, couldn't he? And Grayson would love to help.

Last thing to do. She stepped over the baby gate again and began to tidy up the playroom. Amanda sat and clapped as she danced around the room, stopping every now and then to bend down and tickle her. Amanda was wiggling and twisting, laughing and waving her arms. When she had everything picked up, she swooped down and grabbed her up, swinging her about the room in her arms. Amanda shrieked with glee. "Quieter, baby girl. Don't hurt Mama's ears."

Amanda's little got solemn for a minute and she patted Nyota's ears. Nyota smiled at her and started dancing again. She wiggled back and forth across the room, sometimes moving backwards or sideways. Amanda jiggled and wiggled and laughed. At last Nyota stopped, breathing hard. "Mama's got to rest a minute."

She plopped down on the floor and stood Amanda up, supporting her by holding her around the waist. "Okay, now, baby girl, dance for Mama." Amanda bounced her knees. Nyota grinned. "That's the way." Amanda bounced again, waving her hands and wiggling her bottom. Nyota laughed with her. "Dance, dance. Oh, isn't it fun?" she leaned forward and blew bubbles against Amanda's stomach, making her shriek again.

Spock leaned against the doorway watching. He never tired of watching Nyota and their children, it was one of the joys of his life. Grayson came up, pushing forward to see what was so funny. When he saw Amanda dancing, he giggled and held up his arms for Spock to lift him over the gate. He ran over and began dancing about, making both Nyota and Amanda giggle at him. Dancing was so much fun!

___________

Author's Note : New Story starts today! "A Pearl of Great Price" - the courtship of Selek (Spock Prime) and Durra - starts as T and will change eventually to M.


	45. Chapter 45:Stepping High

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-five - Stepping High**

**Mid April, 2272**

Nyota sat on the floor beside Amanda's dresser, sorting through her clothes. She took out everything that was too small and piled it into the box beside her. Amanda was crawling around the room, babbling at her. She replied, chatting merrily away, telling Amanda what she was doing. Amanda crawled over to her, trying to get into the box of clothes. "No, no, little girl, you can't have those. They are all nice and clean and ready to be packed away."

She picked her up and blew bubbles on her tummy, making she shriek with glee. And then she held her under the arms and set her feet on the floor and bounced her up and down while Amanda laughed and waved her arms. "You are such a happy little girl. Mama loves you so much."

Amanda reached out and patted her cheek. "mama."

"Yes, Amanda, I am your Mama. And I love you."

Amanda's little mouth curled up, trying to make the shape she saw on her mother's face. Nyota recognized that look, oh, she had seen it on her own face so many times, looking in a mirror, trying to make some sound perfectly. She looked right at Amanda and shaped her mouth slowly. "Love."

Amanda's little fingers moved over and touched her lips. She said the word again, still slowly. "Love."

Amanda's tiny brows drew together in the center, so much like her father's that Nyota's heart filled up. The tiny lips pursed and a very small sound came through. "luh"

"That's right. That's the first part. Lo-ve."

"Luh-buh."

Nyota bent her head down and gave Amanda a big smacking kiss. She grinned widely at her. "Mama loves Amanda. Does Amanda love Mama?"

Amanda grinned. "Luhb. Luhb Mama." She pushed her feet on the floor and bounced again. "Luhb!"

Nyota gave her a big hug and sat her down on the floor, picking up the box. "Sweet baby girl. Now Mama's going to go put this box up and then come back and play with you some more." she moved quickly, stepping over the gate and disappearing for a moment.

When she came back, it was to see Amanda standing next to her dresser, holding on to one drawer knob, bouncing up and down, lifting first one foot and then the other and chanting "Luhb, luhb, luhb." She sat down on the floor and laughed and laughed.

When Spock and Grayson came back from the gym, they were still sitting there, laughing with each other. Amanda saw them and began waving her arms and yelling. "Baba, luhb, Gaga, Luhb. Mama, Luhb. Luhb, luhb. Luhb."

Grayson came running over and hugged Amanda, almost making her fall over. "Amanda, I love you too."

Spock settled down on the floor beside Nyota, watching his children. "She has another new word, does she not?"

"Yes, and she really worked to learn this one. It was very deliberate."

Amanda gave Grayson a big hug and patted his face. "Gaga, Luhb." She grinned widely and balanced on one foot, turning her face towards her parents. "Mama, Baba, Luhb." She set her other foot back down and raised the other one. Grayson was supporting her under one arm so that she was slightly more stable and she wavered across the small space between them, holding out her arms.

Spock held out his hands and Amanda lunged forward, laughing gleefully. "Baba, Luhb."

"Yes, Amanda, Baba loves you too." And he was rewarded with a big, sloppy kiss, right on his cheek.


	46. Chapter 46:Girl Talk

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-six - Girl Talk**

**Mid May, 2272**

Nyota set Amanda down near the pile of fuzzies on the floor of the day care center. When she straightened up, a little girl who looked to be about three years old came over and tugged at her skirt. This was Grayson's friend Jilly, with the bright curls that reminded her so much of Gaila. "Yes, Jilly, what do you need?"

"Can I play with Amanda?"

"Of course you can. I think she would like that." Nyota smiled at her and ran her hand through those bright curls. And she has a new word today. See if you can get her to say it."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Love." Nyota grinned as Jilly squatted down beside Amanda.

"Amanda, do you love the fuzzies?"

Amanda looked at the two fuzzies she was holding, then back at Jilly. "Luhb fuzzz?" And then she grinned and started rocking back and forth. "Luhb, luhb. Luhb fuzzzz."

Jilly grinned and picked up a fuzzy herself. "I love the fuzzies, too."

Nyota smiled and slipped away, leaving the two girls sitting on the floor with the fuzzies.

After a bit, Jilly looked around. There was Grayson, over by the blocks. "Grayson, come see what Amanda is doing."

Grayson came running over and plopped down beside the two girls. Amanda held up one of her fuzzies, stuffing it right into his face and making him pull him head back. "Luhb fuzzzzz!"

Grayson laughed at her. "Yes, Amanda, love the fuzzies!" He picked up another fuzzy and hugged it. "I love the fuzzies too!"

Amanda rocked and chortled and hugged her fuzzies. "Luhb, luhb. Lubh fuzzz!"

Sam came over to see what the others were doing and soon was sitting on the floor cuddling a fuzzy as well. Miss Betty looked over and smiled. They were all being so good today. She almost hated to break it up to serve their lunch.

After lunch, she put Amanda in her crib and helped the others onto the cots, covering them all up with light blankets. Then she sat in the rocking chair and rested for a bit, before they started clamoring to get up again.

***

After naptime and dry diapers for those that needed them, Miss Betty took Amanda by the hands and let her walk about the day care center, raising her feet high with each step, as though she was on parade. The other children clapped their hands and laughed with her, her bright smile and happy laughter contagious. When her back began to complain, she sat Amanda back down on the floor and rubbed her back.

Jilly came back over and sat in front of Amanda, playing pattacake with her. She had seen Grayson doing this. Amanda laughed and wiggled and Jilly laughed back. Grayson came and sat beside them, beaming. He had been sure that Amanda and Jilly would be great friends. They were still sitting there together, clapping hands, when Spock came to pick them up.


	47. Chapter 47:Let's Take a Walk

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-seven - Let's Take a Walk**

**Late May, 2272**

Nyota dressed Amanda in a pink tee-shirt and pair of navy blue overalls that had been Grayson's. She added pink socks. Amanda giggled and wiggled and struggled to her feet, wobbling around. She took one step away from Nyota, and then another and then looked over her shoulder at her mother and grinned. Nyota grinned back. "Yes, baby girl, you just walk away as fast as you can. Mama can still catch you."

Amanda giggled again and took another step, raising her foot high before setting it back down. This was fun! She kept taking one step at a time until she was out of her bedroom and into the playroom. Where was Grayson? Where was Baba? She kept stepping out, having so much fun. And then there was Grayson, coming up beside her.

"Amanda! Look at you walk. Can I walk with you?" And he was walking along beside her, lifting his feet high too. When she tottered, almost losing her balance, he was quick to catch her under the arms and keep her upright. And then they were walking again.

Nyota leaned back against the wall, watching, her eyes laughing. _Spock, come and see_. In a few seconds, Spock's head appeared around the edge of the doorjamb and she tilted her head sideways, to where the two children were goose-stepping around the room. Spock watched, his lips quirking up at the ends and his eyes twinkling. And then he stepped carefully over the baby gate and came across the room to sit down beside her. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her back against his shoulder and they sat there, perfectly happy to watch their children.

After a while, Amanda began to tire and she plopped down on her bottom. Grayson plopped down beside her, making her laugh again. And then she spied her parents, sitting there watching, and crawled swiftly across the floor, laughing again, forgetting she was tired. Soon she was climbing into her father's lap, patting first her mother and then her father on their cheeks, babbling away at them. "Baba, Mama, luhb, luhb. Mana luhb mama. Mana luhb baba." she swiveled her head around, finding Grayson. "Mana luhb gaga. Luhb fuzzz. Luhb, luhb."

Spock looked at her, then turned to Nyota. "Did she just say her own name?"

"I believe so, yes. She's learning words fast now."

Amanda was still babbling. "Mana luhb yummy. Yummy yummy. Gib yummy mama. Mana yummy."

"My goodness, baby girl. What a lot of words at once. Grayson, can you please go get Amanda a biscuit."

"Yes, Mama." And he jumped up and ran across the room, reaching high up on top of the little chest, where the box of teething biscuits was kept. He ran back and held one out to Amanda, who grabbed it and cradled it in her hands, rocking and crooning to it before stuffing the whole thing in her mouth. Grayson laughed at her, holding his tummy, and Nyota laughed too. She looked at Spock and saw him actually grinning. Life was pretty good.


	48. Chapter 48:Two Names

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-eight - Two Names**

**Late May, 2272**

Nyota had just finished her report and shut down the com link and was about to go into the playroom when Grayson came and leaned against her legs. "Yes, Grayson, what do you need?"

"Mama, can I ask a big question?"

"Of course you can. And I will listen carefully."

"Why does Amanda have more names than I do?"

Nyota looked at him blankly for a moment. "More names?"

"Yes. She has Amanda and Damisi and I only have Grayson. Why is that?"

"Well. You see, your Baba and I had picked out the name Damisi for her. And then, the night that she was born, when your Baba brought you in to see her, you leaned right over and said 'Hello Amanda'. And then you told us that she had told you that that was her name. So we couldn't name her anything else, could we? So we gave her both names, because Damisi is what she is."

"Yes, she is happy, isn't she? She always laughs." Grayson looked thoughtful. "I remember, when she was still growing in your tummy, how happy she was. Baba would put his hand there and share with us."

"Yes, indeed, she was happy from the very beginning. So Damisi is the perfect name for her."

"I would like a perfect name as well. She has a name from Baba's family and one from your family, and I only have one from Baba's family."

"I had not thought of it that way, but you are absolutely correct. Let me talk to your Baba and see what we can come up with. Is that all right?"

Grayson's face was wreathed in a wide smile. "Yes, Mama. That is very right." And then he tugged at her to get her to come into the playroom, where Spock was already putting Amanda through her exercises.

***

That evening, after the children were asleep, and Nyota was cuddled on Spock's lap on the couch, she told him what Grayson had asked.

"It did not occur to me that he would feel slighted. We must address this."

"Yes, that's exactly what I thought. And so I have been thinking of names that would be 'perfect' for him, as Damisi is perfect for Amanda. And I have come up with three. I will tell you those, but if you do not like them, we can search for more." She waited until he nodded his acceptance before continuing. "At first, I thought, what a blessing he was to us. We had waited for him, and worried about what problems we might have. And he came, and everything was fine. And so I found two names. The first is Baraka and it means blessing. The second is Heri and it means happiness and blessing. But after that I thought of Grayson, himself, and how responsible he is, and how he helps to take care of Amanda, and how he defends his friends in the day care, and I thought of Kafeel, which means protector or responsible. So those are the names that I am suggesting, if you like any of them."

He was quiet for several minutes, thinking, and then he pronounced each name, one at a time. "Grayson Baraka. Grayson Heri. Grayson Kafeel." He was silent again and then spoke, his voice full and deep. "S'chn T'gai Grayson Kafeel. Yes, this is him. That is who he is. It speaks just of him."

"Then we will tell him tomorrow and you will change his records?"

"Yes. In fact, I will have him change the records, so that he sees that it is done correctly."

She nuzzled up against him. "That will make him so happy! You are such a good father."

He burned with gladness as she continued to tell him just exactly how she felt.

***

In the morning, when they were all ready to leave for the mess hall, Spock sat down at the comlink and called Grayson over to him. "Your mother and I discussed your request yesterday evening after you were asleep, and we are agreed that you should have an additional name, one which comes from her family and reflects who you are. We have chosen the name Kafeel, which means protector and responsible, for you are both of these things, caring for your sister and your friends, standing up for them when others mistreat them, and assisting in caring for them when it is necessary."

Grayson's face lit up brightly and he hugged Spock tightly. "Oh, Baba, that is a wonderful name!"

"Then come and let us put it on your official papers, so that it is there for all to see." And Spock opened up the comlink and found the correct form and assisted Grayson in typing in the necessary information. And then Grayson clicked on the button labeled 'send' and the document was accepted. They waited only a very short time and the message came back "Processed and accepted."

"Now you are officially S'chn T'gai Grayson Kafeel, and you may tell your friends that. And it is time to go eat breakfast."

Grayson gave his Baba another big hug and jumped down and ran over to his Mama to hug her as well. And all day long, every time he saw someone he had not already seen that day, he told them of his new name, and what it meant.


	49. Chapter 49:Bufday?

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Forty-nine - Bufday?**

**12 June, 2272**

Nyota dressed Amanda in the pretty pink dress that had come in the latest box from Africa. At last her Mama seemed to understand that things had to be sent out far ahead of when she wanted them to arrive. She put on the matching pink socks with the lace ruffles on the cuffs. Where her Mama had found those, she had no idea. These socks had little patterns of roughness on the bottom to keep Amanda's little feet from skidding on the floor. What a great idea that was. She wondered what had been used. Maybe Spock could figure it out.

Now she took the hairbrush and tried to put some sort of order into Amanda's hair. She was going to have to cut it soon, it was getting long enough that it was hard to brush the tangles out and Amanda just didn't want to sit still. Maybe she would cut it short and just let it curl up the way it wanted to. Durra's hair looked so nice that way. She pinned a little pink butterfly in Amanda's hair and patted her cheek. "All beautiful, baby girl."

"Bootifu?"

"Be-yoo-ti-ful. Beautiful little girl." She grinned at her.

"Bootifu Mana. Bootifu Mana." Amanda grinned and bent her knees and rocked.

"Yes, you are. Now go find Baba and Grayson." Nyota turned to the closet to change her own clothes as Amanda toddled out of her parents' bedroom into the main living area of the apartment. She could hear Grayson exclaiming over her and Spock's deep rumble, as well. Quickly she changed her clothes and headed into the other room herself. She stopped in the doorway, enchanted. There stood Spock, with Amanda standing on his feet, her hands held in his, as he moved slowly around the room. She was laughing with glee and rocking and bouncing, obviously happy. Grayson ran around the outside, laughing as well. What a sight it was.

"All we need now is some music."

"I cannot play and dance at the same time."

"Oh, that's dancing. My, my." She came up behind him and ran her arms around his waist. "Well, the two of you look just wonderful together. Are we ready to go?"

"As you are the last one to be ready, if you are ready, we are all ready." She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Well, then, let's get this show on the road."

Spock shook his head slightly at her 'colorful' phrase. Why could humans not just say what they meant? He picked up his laughing daughter and settled her on his left hip and the family left their quarters, headed for the day care center.

They found it full of friends, already celebrating. Amanda toddled happily about the room, while everyone kept hugging her and saying "Happy Birthday". Eventually she was chanting "Bufday, Bufday." as she toddled about.

The pink cake with one candle in the middle was the first thing that day to stop the babbling. She looked at it in astonishment. What was that? When Mama held her down close and told her to 'blow', she was almost afraid. Baba had warned her about fire - it was hot! He had put his finger on her face and let her feel how it felt and she never tried to touch his firepot again. But Mama was holding her, so it must be all right. She puffed up her cheeks and blew hard and the fire went out. Everybody clapped. She looked up and grinned. It must be good.

And then Mama sat her down in one of the food chairs and tucked something over the front of her pretty pink dress and put a piece of the pink cake on the tray. She stuck one finger into the gooey pink stuff and stuck it in her mouth. Oh, my! That was nice! She got a much bigger blob of pink goo the next time, sucking on her finger in pure delight. When the pink goo was all gone, she tried the white stuff. Well, that was nice, but not nearly as good as the pink goo had been. Mama came and washed her hands and face and put her back on the floor and then something wonderful happened.

Mah-coy came in with a big box and Baba came behind him with something funny - like the big thing in the door to the playroom, but Baba kept unfolding it until he had made a big round thing out of it. And then Mah-coy set the box down inside and turned it over and little things tumbled out. She looked in fascination. What were those? She toddled right up to the fence-thing and held on to it and those little fuzzy things came running over to her. One stuck out a bright pink tongue and began to lick her fingers where they were holding the fence-thing. It tickled and she laughed out loud.

And then Mah-coy came and knelt down beside her. "You want in there with them, princess?" She turned her head and looked at him, her little mouth open in astonishment.

"In? In, Mah-coy?" And he laughed and picked her up and set her inside the fence-thing with the little fuzzies that were running around. They climbed all over her, licking her face, and making her giggle. Soon Grayson and Jilly and Joey and Sam were sitting inside the fence-thing, too, with the little fuzzies running about madly and licking all of them.

McCoy stood beside Nyota, grinning. "I thought those kids might enjoy a passel of pups."

"But where on earth did you get them?"

"Oh, I just borrowed them for a day. I have to beam them back where they came from tonight. But it was certainly worth it to see those faces."

***

The next morning, while Nyota was dressing Amanda for the day, she kept asking "Bufday? Bufday?"

"No, baby, only one to a year."

"Bufday, Mama!"

"Oh, little girl, have you got a lot to learn!"


	50. Chapter 50:Storytime

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty - Storytime**

**Late June, 2272**

Nyota finished dressing Amanda in her little pink sleepsuit and patted her on the bottom. "Storytime." Amanda toddled right off to her father, seated cross-legged against the far wall of the playroom. She crawled up into his lap, settling down. Almost immediately, Grayson was there as well, curling up next to Spock, leaning against him. Nyota stood up and crossed the room, stepping carefully over the baby gate. Into their bedroom she went, to retrieve the special project she had been working on with Spock's help for some time. Back into the playroom she went and settled down beside Spock, the box beside her, out of the children's reach.

As Spock began his story, she pulled things from the box and laid them out on the floor in front of him.

"On a red desert planet that no longer exists, a young boy grew up." Nyota spread a soft reddish-tan rough cloth out on the floor. She reached into the box and retrieved the figure of the small Vulcan boy, wearing loose whiteish-tan pants and a matching tunic, and stood him in the middle of the cloth. Grayson caught his breath and focused his gaze on what she was doing. Amanda clapped her hands together and sighed.

"The young boy had a pet sehlat, who was his friend." Nyota reached into the box again and brought forth a figure almost bigger than the boy, with long white tusks in its mouth. She put it close to the boy. Grayson leaned forward on Spock's leg, almost hanging off the end of his knee.

"Every day, after the boy returned home from school, he and his friend would walk about in the desert near their home." Nyota moved the two figures about, leaving them some distance from where she had first put them down. Both children were absolutely still now, trying to concentrate both on their father's words and the movements of the small figures.

"In the desert were many things - large rocks, small sturdy plants, even some animals. They had to be careful to avoid the dangerous ones." Nyota lifted several things out of the box and set them about on the cloth - rough red stones, small fuzzy things that represented the plants that Spock had described to her, a tiny lizard-thing, and something small and furry.

"One time when they were out in the desert, something almost unknown occurred - it rained." Grayson gasped. Amanda was not sure what was happening now and looked at Grayson, concerned. Nyota took several things from the box. One was a framework of sorts, with many fine strings hanging off of it. She set it up so that the fine strings hung down around the figures of the boy and the sehlat. She had the other things ready to put out as Spock continued.

"When it rains suddenly in a very dry land, it rains hard and fast and there is no shelter. Soon the boy and his friend were very wet. And then the valley they were walking in began to fill with water." Nyota laid a strip of shiny blue fabric down the middle of the red cloth. The two figures were very close to it.

"Faster than the boy and his friend could walk, the water began to rise." Nyota laid a wider, thicker piece of the blue over the first and moved the two figures just a little bit further away.

"Soon the boy became afraid, as his friend was pulling on his clothing, urging him to run faster." Nyota moved the sehlat right up next to the figure of the boy, sticking part of the boy's pants leg into the mouth of the sehlat.

"The boy ran faster and the sehlat barked at him, urging him on. They ran toward the hills, which were not very far away." Nyota lifted the large red rocks from the box and set them down on the red cloth, not too close to the figures, but not so far away, either.

"The water continued to pour from the sky, and to rise in the valley. It rose as fast as the boy could run." Nyota added another strip of blue and moved the two little figures closer to the large rocks.

"At last the boy and his friend arrived at the beginning of the hills. The boy was panting and tired, but his friend would not let him stop. The sehlat got behind the boy and pushed him up the hill." Nyota moved the boy to the rocks and put the sehlat behind him, with his head on the boy's bottom.

"The sehlat pushed and the boy climbed, and soon they were perched high on a large rock, above the swiftly running water." Nyota moved the two small figures up to the top of the large rock, removing the framework with the fine strings from the red cloth.

"The boy was wet now, and night was coming, causing the temperature to drop swiftly. The boy began to shake with cold. The sehlat moved closer and wound itself around the boy, cushioning him with its thick fur. In no time, the boy was warm again." Nyota moved the figures, nestling the boy down against the sehlat's stomach.

"In the middle of the night, a bright light shone down on the boy and the sehlat and the boy's father landed his hoverbike as closely as possible to the rock on which the boy and the sehlat lay. He climbed the rock and carried the boy back to the hoverbike so that he could take him home again. The sehlat ran across the desert floor beneath the hoverbike, reaching home almost as fast. The boy's mother tucked him into his bed, and the sehlat lay on the floor beside it until she went away, and then it climbed into the bed beside the boy and they slept the rest of the night." Nyota brought the last thing out of the box and set it on one corner of the red cloth. She tucked the figure of the boy under the covers of the bed and put the sehlat down beside him.

The children were silent for several moments, waiting to be sure that Spock was finished. And then Amanda reached out very, very carefully and touched the soft body of the sehlat. "Frin."

"Yes, indeed, a very good friend." Spock held onto her so that she did not get close enough to grab the figures.

Grayson crawled up on his leg and leaned out even more, caused Spock to grab him around the waist. "Tell it again, Baba, please."

Spock chuckled at him. "Another night, Grayson. They will come to storytime again."

Both children leaned into Spock, curling up close, as Nyota began to put the things back in the box. By the time she had finished, they were both sleeping. She put the box away first, and then took Amanda and snuggled her down in her bed. She came back for Grayson, pulling him up with more difficulty, but Spock's hands were there to assist her. When he was settled in as well, she came back and settled herself down in Spock's lap, where the children had been. "I think they liked our little surprise."

"Yes, indeed. They were quite taken with it. It was an excellent idea that you had. We shall have to decide what other objects to create so that further stories may be told."

Nyota smiled. He had enjoyed this as much as the children had.


	51. Chapter 51:Girls in the Sandbox

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-one - Girls in the Sandbox**

**Mid July, 2272**

Nyota arrived at the day care center to pick up her children and stopped at the door, looking in in astonishment. The sandbox was full of girls. They were not letting any of the boys in. They appeared to have completely landscaped the whole sandbox, with streets and houses, and everything. They had all the tiny vehicles moving around on the streets and little people figures standing in the yards. The boys were complaining loudly. She just stood there at the door, trying not to laugh. At least there was no sand in the girls hair! When the sandbox was full of boys, there was usually sand everywhere!

Grayson caught sight of his Mama and came running over to her. "Mama, come help! Suzy and Jilly and Amanda will not let us play in the sandbox!"

"What did Miss Betty say?"

"She said we had to share. But they're not sharing! They have the whole thing!"

"And how many times have you and the other boys had the whole thing?"

Grayson sputtered at her. "but, but, but, MAMA!"

"It won't hurt you to let the girls have the sandbox for one day. Besides it's supper time now." She walked over to the sandbox and lifted Amanda up. Her daughter leaned over, trying to get back to the sandbox. "No, Amanda, time for supper."

"Sanbos! Sanbos!"

"Yes, I know you were having fun in the sandbox, but it's time to go now."

"Sanbos, Mama! Sanbos."

"Little girl, time to be quiet."

Amanda knew the quiet word. She stuck out her lower lip and pouted. Mama just laughed at her.

When they got to the mess hall, Grayson went running right to Spock. "Baba! The girls wouldn't let us in the sandbox!"

Spock raised one eyebrow at him. "What did Miss Betty say?"

Grayson looked from one parent to another. How did they always ask the same questions? "Miss Betty said we had to share, but the girls were not sharing!"

Spock looked at him. "How often do the girls get to have the sandbox all to themselves?"

Grayson looked confused. "Why would they want that?"

"Perhaps the girls wish to play differently in the sandbox than the boys do. They probably do not wish to have sand in their hair, for one thing."

Grayson considered that. "We do not always get sand in our hair." He got another raised eyebrow for that answer.

Nyota handed Amanda down to Spock and headed for the food line. Amanda patted her Baba on the face. "Sanbos, Baba, sanbos."

"Did you play in the sandbox, Amanda?"

"Mana luhb sanbos, Baba. Mana pay sanbos. Sanbos!"

Jim sat down beside Spock. "Sanbos? Ah, sandbox. The girls were in the sandbox today?"

"So it seems. Amanda seems to be thrilled and Grayson is incensed."

"Isn't that always the way? The guys find something great and then the ladies come along and make it all civilized."

"That actually seems to be very close to what has occurred. The girls wish to play in the sandbox without getting sand in their hair."

Jim laughed out loud. "Poor little boys. I think they're going to lose."

Grayson came around and climbed up into his Unca Jim's lap and patted his cheek to get his attention. "Unca Jim, Unca Jim, make the girls give us back the sandbox. We want to play, too."

"Hey, kid, I don't give orders in the sandbox, sorry. But I'll bet if you quit making such a big deal out of it, they'll lose interest. Or you could go play with all the fuzzies and they might decided that looks like more fun."

Grayson thought hard about that. Maybe he would suggest that to the other boys tomorrow.

____________

Author's Note : Dear Readers: Please do not despair if there are no new chapters loaded tomorrow. I am going in for a minor out-patient surgical procedure early tomorrow morning and may not feel like posting when I return home. Posting will resume as soon as I feel comfortable sitting at my computer.


	52. Chapter 52:Pity Hair

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-two - Pity Hair**

**late July, 2272**

Nyota answered the door chime and welcomed Tamara. Amanda laughed and held out her arms and Tamara scooped her up. "Hi there, pretty girl. How are you today?"

"Pity Mana."

"Yes indeed you are." She gave the wiggly little girl a kiss on the cheek and turned to Nyota. "Where are we going to do this?"

"I thought in the play room. I have a chair set up for her there."

Tamara carried Amanda into the playroom and sat her in the chair, checking the height. "Good. Okay, let's get started. First you part off a little bit of hair, like this. And then your braid it along the scalp, catching more hair in as you go - and try to keep it straight. And when you get to the end, you can put anything you want around the end - anything that will hold it. I brought these." She held out some tiny colored stretchy things.

Amanda craned her neck, trying to see, but was told to sit still and be a good girl.

Tamara continued to demonstrate until she thought Nyota understood what to do and then she turned the job over to her, standing by and giving instructions. Soon Amanda's head was covered with rows and rows of tiny braids.

"And you can wash her hair with those still in place. You don't need to take them out. These should last at least a week. It depends on how fast her hair grows and what she does. If they get loose, just undo them and start over." She went around in front of Amanda and looked at her. "Oh, my, little girl, aren't you pretty!"

Nyota came and looked, too. "That's such an improvement over the way she was looking. Her hair was just so messy! Come on, baby girl, let's go look at your pretty hair." She picked Amanda up and carried her into the bathroom, turning her to look into the mirror. Both women watched the little girl pat her head and twist about, trying to see the colorful ties on the ends of the tiny braids.

"Pity hair! Mana pity hair!"

"Yes, indeed. Amanda has pretty hair." Nyota set her down on the floor and watched her toddle away. "Now how about a cup of tea and a cookie and some gossip."

"Hey, that sounds good to me!"

***

When Spock and Grayson returned from the gym, Amanda came running as fast as she could, crying out "Pity hair, pity hair."

Grayson walked all around her. "Amanda! Where did you get those?"

Spock watched her patting her tiny braids and laughing. He turned to Nyota. "This hairstyle looks like the one that Tamara Bainst wears."

"Yes, she came and showed me how to do it and Amanda seems to love it. I was thinking of cutting it short, like Durra's, but this isn't hard to do."

Spock tilted his head, looking at his daughter and thinking. "I believe this style suits her. And she does seem to like it."

Amanda came up and patted his knee. "Pity hair, Baba. Mana pity hair." 

"Indeed yes, Amanda. You have pretty hair."

Amanda smiled and patted her tiny braids again. "Pity, pity hair."


	53. Chapter 53:Two Heads Are Better Than One

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-three - Two Heads Are Better Than One**

**Early August, 2272**

Nyota peeked into the playroom. Grayson and Amanda sat on the floor, heads together, backs to her, playing with something small. She smiled and withdrew. She would finished that last report then, while they were playing. Spock was going through messages, almost finished as well. Family playtime, soon.

Grayson sat cross-legged on the floor of the playroom, the small controller for his toy shuttle in his hand. Amanda sat beside him, rocking back and forth. Her hands made little grabby motions, and he could feel her, _pushing_ just the tiniest bit. "No, Amanda. You cannot have it. But I will make the shuttle fly if you do as I ask. I promise."

She looked at him, her eyes big. "Fy."

"Yes, I will make the shuttle fly. I promise. But you must learn to say my name properly. I do not like Gaga!" He shook his head very strongly. "I don't like it at all. So you must learn to say Grayson, or something very close to it. Then I will make the small shuttle fly."

She looked at him again, her eyes begging, "Fy, Gaga, fy."

"No, no, no, Amanda! Not Gaga! Say Grayson. Grr-a-son."

She watched carefully. She held out her hand, her little fingers touching his lips.

Carefully he shaped his mouth. "GRRRR".

She giggled. "bear."

His eyes lit up. "Yes, Amanda, like what a bear says. Grrrr!"

She tilted her head and looked at him. "Grrr."

"Yes, yes! Now say 'a'."

"ah."

"No, no, Amanda, not ah, ay."

"Ay?"

"Yes, yes, Now say them together. Grrray."

She focused so hard she crossed her eyes. "grrrrrayy."

Grayson leaned over and hugged her. "That is so good, Amanda! Now the last part. Say 'son'."

"Baba."

Grayson looked confused. "No, Amanda, not baba. Son."

Amanda insisted "Baba."

Grayson cocked his head and tried to figure out what she meant. And then it was clear. "Yes, Amanda, sometimes when Baba talks to me he calls me his son. That's right! That's the right word!" He grinned at her.

She grinned back. "Son. Son. Son."

"Now say it all together, Amanda. Grrrrayyson. Grayson."

She puckered up her face and concentrated. "Grraayyson. Grraysson. Grayson." She laughed and giggled and rocked back and forth. Her brother threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. And then he sat there beside her on the floor and worked the controller in his hands and made the little shuttle fly out of his bedroom and around and around the playroom, circling behind her and around in front again and again and again.

When Spock and Nyota came back to the playroom a few minutes later, ready for evening playtime, their children were sitting so close together. The little shuttle was flying circles around the two of them. And Amanda was rocking back and forth, chanting "Grayson, Grayson" over and over again.


	54. Chapter 54:Happy Fourth

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-four - Happy Fourth**

**16 August, 2272**

Nyota finished dressing Amanda and carried her out into the playroom. Grayson was there, being as good as gold, trying very hard to stay clean and neat. She gave him a big smile and held out her hand. He jumped up and took her hand in his and they headed out, down the corridor.

Grayson was very curious about where they were going, but he waited to see rather than asking questions. When they got to the gym, he was confused. Mama led him into the big room at the back of the gym, where the big trampoline was. There were big blue ribbons all across the door - those had never been there before. Baba was there and took Amanda from Mama, who ducked down under the ribbons, pulling him along with her. And then they were inside and everyone was yelling 'Surprise!' and he looked around, eyes wide.

There was Joey, and his daddy, and Stevie and Sam with their daddies, too. And there was Shron, with both his first-father and his second-father, and even Grrel! And Scotty,Jr was there, too. Baba took him by the hand and led him into the locker room, and everyone else came too. There was a stack of something there, that Baba passed out and all the fathers were helping the little boys to change. There they all stood, wearing the red shorts and tank tops that the men wore in the gym, in their own sizes! They ran around, pointing at each other and laughing.

Baba pointed back out to the other room and they all ran there, ready to see what would happen next. Mama and Amanda were sitting over in the corner, and Susan was there, too, with Suzy on her lap. But the exciting thing was that Baba was putting them all up on the trampoline!

Baba's warm hands showed him how to bend his knees and bounce. Then he went to the next boy. Soon they were all bouncing and laughing. And then he showed them all how to fall, and they were falling and bouncing and laughing. Even Grrel was laughing! Shron bounced higher than anyone.

Then they were all lifted down to the floor and Baba and Unca Jim were up on the trampoline and bouncing high! And then they did somersaults! And backflips! Grayson watched with his mouth open. One by one, they took the little boys and showed them what to do, turning their bodies for them so that they could learn. Delighted laughter filled the room. Grayson saw Suzy tugging at her mother, trying to get her to let her up there, but Susan told her, no, this was the boys' treat.

After all the boys had gotten individual instructions, they were all put back on the trampoline. Spock and Jim and Scotty and the other men stood around the edge, watching carefully as the boys jumped and flipped and bounced and laughed. Eventually, even four-year-olds run out of energy. When that happened, the boys were lifted down and taken back into the locker room to change their clothes again. And then there was cake and fruit juice and excited talk about what they had done.

This was certainly the best fourth birthday party he had ever had!


	55. Chapter 55:Daddy Care

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-five - Daddy Care**

**late August, 2272**

Nyota had extensive in-house training set up for her department today, starting at 0600. And her quarterly reviews were scheduled for the evening. She had a very long day ahead of her. Spock would have the care of the children all day. They had explained to both children yesterday that Mama would be very, very busy and not available to help today, but he was not at all sure that Amanda had understood. And when he went into her bedroom to get her out of bed, she immediately fussed for 'Mama'.

"Mama is busy today, Amanda. Baba will take care of you." Amanda stuck out her lower lip and eyed him with distain. He picked her up out of her bed anyway. He carried her into the bathroom, and stripped off her pajamas and wet diaper. As soon as he started running the bath water, Grayson came running in, already stripped and ready for his bath. Spock struggled not to laugh at his eager son.

When the water was the satisfactory depth and temperature, he sat Amanda down at the far end of the tub and lifted Grayson up over the edge. Amanda immediately began to hit the surface of the water, sending flumes of spray everywhere. Thankfully, he had not yet dressed himself this morning.

By the time he had both children bathed and dressed, had dressed himself, and was ready to head for the mess hall, it was far later than normal. Things just seemed to go much smoother when Nyota was there to take charge.

He sat Amanda on his left hip and took Grayson's hand in his right hand and headed for the service line. He had to let go of Grayson to get a tray and tableware. Then Grayson wanted to push the tray and smacked it hard into the one in front of them, scattering diced fruit everywhere. He apologized profusely. And then chastised Grayson severely. Grayson walked along beside him, head hung, dejected. Perhaps he had been too severe? He sighed.

By the time both children had eaten sufficient nutrients, and he had grabbed whatever he could in between feeding Amanda and supervising Grayson, he was ready to head back home and take a nap. Instead, he delivered the children gratefully to the day care center, repeating that under no circumstances where they to attempt to contact Lieutenant Uhura today concerning any problems with the children. And then he headed for the bridge, arriving only half an hour late.

It took him forty-five minutes to realize that they were snickering at him because there was oatmeal on his right shoulder and mashed bananas on the back of his shirt. He hurriedly returned to quarters and changed his shirt. It was while he was doing this that he found the half-eaten piece of toast in his pants pocket.

He was no more than back on the bridge when Miss Betty contacted him. Amanda was screaming. She couldn't tell why. By the time he got to the day care center, she had stopped and was playing happily with two older girls in the pile of fuzzies. He quickly backed out of the day care center before she saw him, and returned to the bridge.

He managed to complete the morning without any further interruptions and joined Jim and Bones for a quick lunch - which he had almost finished when Bones' communicator pealed out with the medical emergency tone. Bones grabbed it up, looked at the message, yelled, "Come on, Spock!" and took off. Unsure what the problem was, but almost terrified by the speed with with Bones took off, he followed behind immediately.

They arrived in the day care center to find Grayson and two other boys crying on the floor, all bleeding. A quick check determined that none of them had a serious injury, but it took somewhat longer to discover what had actually happened. Spurred on by some entertainment vid that one of the boys had seen, they had attempted to play some game called 'leap frog' with the consequences that Grayson's superior strength had resulted in his over-shooting his target and sinking his teeth into the back of the head of the front boy, who had then kicked the one behind in the mouth. He in turn had punched Grayson. When all three boys were settled down with ice packs and popsicles, he and Bones headed for the bridge.

Two meals, half-eaten in one day. Sigh.

Since the children were all put down for a nap after lunch, he assumed that he would have at least two hours of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, those two hours were spent helping Scotty try to prevent one of the engine casings from splitting, which would have resulted in a massive explosion. Not exactly peace and quiet.

And on the way out of Engineering, he stepped on a tool left laying on the floor by someone. Only his superior Vulcan sense of balance and agility kept him upright. But he walked with a limp for the rest of the day. When he went to pick up his children, Grayson noticed right away and demanded to know what was wrong. And then wanted to go make Scotty find whoever it was that had left that tool out and punish them. He finally had to point his finger straight at Grayson threateningly to get him to cease.

They reached the mess hall, and thankfully, this time there were friends who gladly took the children while he went through the line. No spilled food, no incidents with other people, just pick up food and quickly back to the table. Where he found a scene of utter chaos. Amanda had apparently reached for the glass of fruit juice on Cathy's tray, knocking it over into Jim's steak. And his lap. When he jumped backwards, trying to miss most of the liquid, he had knocked over the person walking between the tables behind him. That person's tray had gone flying, landing upside down in the middle of the table. The only intact tray at the table now was the one he was holding. This was almost too much. If it were not for the fact that half the people at the table were laughing uproariously, he would simply have left the room with his children, hungry or not.

The table was quickly cleaned up and people began to go back for more food. Cathy took Amanda and talked to her quietly, and then began to feed her. He thanked her profusely. Grayson sat very quietly on his other side, eating his supper and not looking around at all. He must be afraid he was going to be blamed for the mess. At least he did get to eat one entire meal today. Even if it was mostly cold by the time he ate it.

He carried their dishes and tray off to the bussing station and then collected his children, thanking Cathy once again. Amanda gave her a big smooch, right on the end of her nose, which made her laugh. Once home, he knew there was no point in trying to work on reports tonight. Instead, he told Grayson to get his primer and read to him. Grayson ran quickly to get it and climbed up on the couch. Amanda kept reaching for the book, and he finally leaned over the end of the couch and found a fuzzy on the floor there to distract her with.

After that he took the children into the playroom and when through their exercise routine. Both children loved this, so there was no problem there. And then it was time to change into pajamas, and select a book for storytime. He sat down on the floor, both children in his lap and read the stories they had selected. And then he tucked them both into their beds and turned the lights off, retreating to the living area and collapsing down onto the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him.

And that is where Nyota found him, sound asleep, when she returned home an hour later.


	56. Chapter 56:Cabin Camping

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-six - Cabin Camping**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson could tell that something unusual was going to happen. Mama and Baba were both doing strange things. And then Baba opened up the storage above the big closet in Mama and Baba's bedroom and took down a big backpack and a large duffle bag and the backpack carrier that he used to ride in when he was little. They were going on a vacation! He began running all around the apartment, so excited, yelling "Vacation, vacation!" at the top of his lungs. Mama just stood and watched him, laughing. Baba had one eyebrow raised. Amanda had no idea what was going on, but began to run after him, as fast as she could.

Spock looked at Nyota. "I believe Grayson is glad we are going on vacation." His eyes flashed with amusement, even though his face was calm.

"Whatever gave you that idea!" Nyota laughed at the two children running around. "How do you think Amanda is going to take to it?"

"Grayson was about her age the first time we took him to the woods. And she is as curious as he was then."

"Yes, you're right about that."

The next few days were very busy. Clothing was selected and folded neatly, ready to go into the duffle and the backpack. Other items were assembled as well, and everything was laid out on the table, ready to be packed up. The night before they were to leave, everything went into the duffle bag and the large backpack, in those neat little stacks, and the duffle was sealed and set beside the door. The backpack was left beside the table, ready for the last few items in the morning. Clothing to be worn the next day was laid out, and everything was ready. Two excited children had great difficulty in going to sleep. Amanda didn't know what was going to happen, but Grayson was so excited that it rubbed off on her.

And well before Spock had planned on awaking, Grayson was there, tugging on his arm. "Wake up, Baba, Wake up! It's time to go!"

Spock opened one eye and glared at his son. "No, it is not, Grayson. Go back to bed. I will awaken you at the correct time." He closed his eye and attempted to go back to sleep.

Grayson tugged at him again. "But Baba! Amanda and I are all ready!"

Nyota rolled over and mumbled. "What's going on? What time is it?"

Spock sighed. "Our children are apparently already up and dressed and ready to go. It is only 0400."

Nyota giggled. "At least we know they like going on vacation. We might as well get up, because I don't think there's any way they're going to let us sleep any more."

About that time, Amanda made her presence known, standing at the foot of the bed, patting on her parents' feet. "Bacatn! Bacatn!"

"Yes, yes, Amanda, vacation." Nyota sat up, the covers falling down into her lap and revealing the brief tank top that she wore. "Why don't you two run play while Baba and I wake up and get ready?" She yawned again. "0400! Gah!"

Spock lay there, watching her try to wake up and watching their children to see what they would do. Grayson took Amanda and convinced her to go in the other room, telling her he would get their breakfast. Spock shuddered to think what the dining alcove would look like when they made it in there. Then he went back to admiring his wife as she stretched, trying to wake up. That tank was just enough too small that it was very interesting to watch. He reached out and ran his fingers down her back. "We need to take a shower, k'diwa."

She grinned down at him. "Okay. But that's all, I'm afraid." Her words turned out to be very prophetic, as no sooner were they in the shower than both children were beating on the shower doors, demanding entry. Four in the shower stall was fairly crowded and not private at all.

When they were all dressed again, Nyota moved around in the dining alcove, preparing breakfast and then cleaning up. The last few articles were packed, and everything was ready. Spock lifted the large backpack and settled it on his shoulders. Nyota checked the back, being sure the supports were aligned correctly as Spock fastened the straps. And then she picked up the baby backpack and put it on herself, with Spock checking out the way it fit her. He reached down and picked up Amanda and settled her in the carrier, looking out over her mother's shoulder. Amanda was amazed. Where had this thing been? Why had she never been up here before? Spock fastened the small harness inside the carrier around her and picked up the large duffel from beside the door. He ordered the lights off, the comm to record mode, and offered his hand to Grayson, who was jumping up and down in the open doorway.

They arrived at the transporter deck two and a half hours before their scheduled transport time. The technician on duty just laughed at the sight of the over-excited children. Very shortly they found themselves on the planet below, where the ship would be in orbit for several weeks for repairs and restocking, as well as several diplomatic functions. They walked down the almost empty streets, headed for the office where they would pick up the keys to the cabin they had reserved. The office manager was just in the process of unlocking the front door when they arrived. It took a very short time, with two loud and eager children 'assisting' to procure the keys and the map and be on their way.

Once they were out of sight of the small town, Spock stopped and withdrew something from his pocket. He knelt down and fitted a small harness over Grayson's chest, fastening it in the back. There was a long leash attached to the harness, which he grasped in his left hand. Now Grayson could run around to his heart's content, while his parents continued on toward the cabin. Grayson was ecstatic! He dashed over to smell some small flowers, picked one and brought it to his mother, dashed back when he saw a bird fly by, ran around behind his parents, then back in front again. Only once did he run all the way around, and his mother's loud exclamation as she tripped over the leash, thankfully caught immediately by his father, was enough to teach him never to do that again!

After an hour's leisurely walk (by the adults), they came onto a small clearing in the woods, with a trim little cabin standing there. Grayson immediately ran up to the door. "Is this where we're going to stay? Is it? Are we here? Are we?"

"Yes, Grayson, this is the cabin we have rented. Let me unlock the door and we can carry our baggage inside." Spock set the heavy duffle on the kitchen table and turned to lift Amanda down from the the backpack carrier. Nyota released the buckles and set the carrier down, and then turned to help Spock out of the backpack he wore. They did a few stretches to limber up and turned to watch their children exploring the cabin. Since they were early, they had plenty of time to look around and unpack, and there would still be time for a nice hike around the cabin this afternoon. It was going to be very interesting watching Amanda, who had never seen grass and big trees and wild animals before. Grayson was already telling her about all the things he had seen on vacation and her eyes were very big.

Cabin camping might not be as much fun as tent camping, but with small children, a bathroom was a necessity!


	57. Chapter 57:Cabin Camping Day Two

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-seven - Cabin Camping - Day Two**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson woke up, jumped out of bed, and ran into the bedroom where his parents were sleeping. "Time to go hiking" he screamed, jumping into the middle of their bed. Spock sat straight up, grabbed Grayson by the shirt and started to fling him across the room, stopping only in the nick of time. He sat there panting, eyes wide, as he stared at his son, who almost immediately began to cry.

Nyota rolled over sleepily and looked up. "What's going on?"

"I believe our son has just learned a valuable lesson. One which I certainly have no desire to repeat." He set Grayson down on the floor beside the bed. "Go back to your bedroom and stay there until either your mother or I comes to get you. And be quiet."

"Yes, Baba." Grayson trudged out of the room, head down, while Spock sat there on the bed, heart pounding. When had his son become this undisciplined? Eventually, his heart rate calmed down and he lay back down on the bed. Nyota snuggled up against him and wrapped her arm around him.

"He's excited."

"I might have severely injured him."

"But you didn't"

"No. But we must spend some time with him, explaining proper behavior. I believe his sister has corrupted him."

"Now _that_ is a distinct possibility. Maybe they both need a good talking to."

It was another three hours before Grayson was allowed to come out of the room where he and Amanda were sleeping, to join the family at the breakfast table. And after breakfast was definitely behavior lesson time! Two very chastened children listened carefully to everything their father said, saying "Yes, Baba" every time he stopped and looked at them.

And then it was time for the promised hike. Amanda went into the baby carrier on Spock's back and Nyota took Grayson's leash, and off they went. Down between the trees, over the grass, walking slowly and looking all about. Grayson saw things he remembered and ran ahead to point them out - little flowers, fungi, moss on a fallen tree. He glowed with excitement. Several times they stopped and let Amanda down to touch and smell. She tried to carry a handful of dirt and weeds back into the baby carrier with her and was very unhappy when Nyota made her open her hand and drop it all, and then brushed her fingers off. "Baba does not want dirt on the back of his neck. Not at all."

Spock nodded in agreement. He most certainly did not!

And then Grayson found the little bugs, crawling all over the stump of a small rotted tree and squatted down in awe, "Look, Baba, bugs." Nyota took Amanda down again and the little girl bent and looked, then jumped back, chattering. She leaned over again, pointing at the bugs, and backed up shrieking. Nyota laughed at her and Spock's lips quirked up. He knelt down and stuck out one finger, scooping up several of the small bugs and holding them up for Amanda to see. She stuck out her finger, almost touching a bug, then shrieked and drew it back. Three times she did this and then Grayson stepped in, disgusted, and picked up one of the bugs and dropped it on her. She ran all around, screaming bloody murder, and Nyota picked up Grayson and smacked his behind. Grayson looked at his mother in total shock. She had never hit him before.

"What are we going to do with you, Grayson? Why are you acting this way?"

"But she really wanted a bug."

"Not dropped on her. Look at her." Nyota pointed to Amanda, sobbing on her father's shoulder. "You scared her. That was very, very bad." And she turned around, headed back to the cabin, pulling her unhappy son along behind her. He spent the rest of the day in his room, looking out the window. By suppertime, he was one very contrite little boy, who promised whole-heartedly never to scare his little sister like that again.


	58. Chapter 58:Cabin Camping Day Three

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-eight - Cabin Camping - Day Three**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson woke up and very quietly went to stand beside the window, looking out into the grassy area around the cabin. He did not wake Amanda up, he did not wake his parents up, he just stood and watched. He saw bright flying things going from tree to tree, making loud noises. As he watched, he saw two of them going repeatedly to the same spot in the same tree. There seemed to be something there, but he couldn't tell what it was. He would ask Baba later.

Amanda woke up and saw Grayson standing at the window. She stood up and held on the bars around her bed and called to him. "Grayson! Out, out!"

Grayson came back over to the side of Amanda's bed. "I can't get you out, Amanda. You are too heavy for me to lift and it is too high. Besides, Mama and Baba would be very angry. Instead, I will sit here and tell you what I saw out the window." He sat down on the floor beside Amanda's bed and she sat back down, too, and he began to tell her about the bright colored things that flew from tree to tree. Soon she was holding out her hands and making grabby motions.

"No, Amanda, I can't bring you one of the flying things. I couldn't catch one, they fly too fast. But when Mama and Baba get up, I will ask them to take us out into the yard to watch them."

In the doorway, Nyota and Spock watched. This was the behavior they expected from their son. It was a great relief to see it. "Do you suppose he was just over-excited?"

"It is possible. It is also possible that he has observed similar behavior from other boys in the day care center. Or it might just be his age."

"Four? I didn't think four was one of the problem stages."

"Not for humans."

"Ah. Well, I guess I have some research to do when we get back to the ship, then. You might have mentioned this before, Mr. Smarty Pants."

One long slanted eye-brow rose high. "What do my pants have to do with the topic of conversation?"

Nyota giggled so hard at that that both children turned and saw their parents standing in the doorway. Amanda immediately climbed to her feet again and began begging to get 'out'. It was time for baths and breakfast.

After the kitchen cleanup was finished, Spock and Nyota opened the door to the cabin and went out to sit in the grass. Grayson and Amanda followed behind and began to explore the grassy area around the cabin. Grayson pointed out things he remembered and tried to teach Amanda the names. And when he found another nest of bugs, he squatted down to watch them, showing Amanda how they climbed up and down the stems of the plants, but he did not pick any up and drop them on her.

After a while, he came back to Spock and told him about the flying things that had been going to the same spot. He pointed it out and Spock said there was a nest there. He went back into the cabin and came back with a pair of small, collapsable far-seers. He showed Grayson how to look through them and helped him to focus them so that he could see the nest, built of sticks and plant fibers. There were three tiny heads peeking over the top edge, with enormous eyes. While Grayson watched, one of the big flyers came and dropped a wiggly bug into the nest, and all three tiny heads went crazy, trying to catch it. Grayson was enchanted. He asked Spock if they could drop bugs in the nest, too, but Spock said that they could not. It was up to the parents to feed the babies.

Amanda came and climbed into Spock's lap, squeezing in behind Grayson. And then she started making grabby hands toward the far-seers. Very reluctantly, Grayson handed them to Spock, who held them over Amanda's eyes so that she could see the nest and the baby flyers. She clapped her hands and bounced, so excited. Nyota leaned back on her hands, watching Spock with the children, teaching them, so patiently. This was an excellent way to spend a morning.

When Amanda tired of the far-seers, she crawled out of her father's lap and began toddling about the clearing, squatting down when she found tiny flowers growing in the grass. She would pick one and bring it back to Nyota, then go look for another. Soon Nyota had a handful of tiny flowers, none with stems long enough to put in water. But Amanda was having so much fun that she wasn't going to say anything.

After lunch, both children were so tired that they took naps without complaining, and their parents had some quiet time together, just enjoying the fact that there were no demands on them, no communicators going off, no emergencies to handle. It was very nice to just relax. And the grass was soft and the sun was warm. Maybe just a very short nap, so that they would be well rested for the planned hike before supper. After all, wasn't that what vacation was for?


	59. Chapter 59:Cabin Camping Day Four

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Fifty-nine - Cabin Camping - Day Four**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson sat and looked at the small tree. It had branches that were big and flat and close to the ground, and then more, climbing up the side of the tree. Each branch had a set of broad shiny leaves at the end. And way up at the top was something that looked like a nest. Grayson really, really wanted to see what was in that nest.

He stood up and approached the tree. The first branch was at about the same height as his knee. He put one foot on it and grabbed another branch higher up, pushing off the ground with his other foot. He put that foot on the next branch and reached higher with his hands. One branch at a time, he climbed up the tree.

It wasn't until he was high in the tree, only a few branches below the little nest, that his mother came around the corner of the cabin looking for him and yelled. "S'chn T'gai Grayson Kafeel, you come down from there immediately!"

That had to be the very first time that Mama had yelled at him and used all four of his names. She must be very mad. He didn't understand why. He had been very careful. And he was almost to the nest. He leaned over and called to her "I am fine, Mama."

And then he saw how far up from the ground he was. His tummy turned flip-flops. His hands clutched the branch very tightly. His eyes got very big. "I am very high, Mama."

"Yes, indeed you are. What are you doing?" She was hovering under him, watching.

"There is a nest up here. I wanted to see what was in it."

"Of course you did." Nyota sighed. Now where could he possibly have gotten that curiosity from?

Spock came around the corner of the cabin, carrying Amanda, in response to the silent call from Nyota. When he saw where Grayson was, both eyebrows rose straight up into his hairline. "How did he get up there?"

"He climbed."

Spock handed Amanda to Nyota. "I do not believe that that tree will sustain my weight. And he is currently higher than I can reach. I shall try to talk him down until I can reach him." He moved until he was directly under Grayson, Nyota moving back out of his way. "Grayson, listen to me carefully and do exactly as I tell you."

"Yes, Baba. I want to come down now."

"That is what we are going to do, Grayson. Move your left foot down slowly until you feel the next branch. That is right. There, you have it. Now move your right foot down past your left foot until you come to another branch. Very good. Now move your left hand down and when you have the branch securely in your hand, move your right hand to the same branch. You are doing very well, Grayson." He moved slightly as his son shifted about on the branches, trying to keep directly underneath him. Slowly he coached him down from branch to branch until he could reach up and grasp Grayson around the waist. As soon as his hands closed about him, Grayson let loose of the tree and grabbed onto his father. Spock pulled him down and clasped his son to his chest. Grayson was breathing very hard, but he was not crying.

"Oh, Baba, I got scared when I saw how far up I was. So I just held on tight until you and Mama could help me."

"That was exactly the correct thing to do. Now tell me why you climbed up there."

"There is a nest up there, Baba. See it? I wanted to see what was inside. I thought I could climb up and look."

"Next time you will remember not to climb anything that is taller than your head, will you not?"

"Yes, Baba, I promise. But can you get that nest for me so that I can see what is in it?"

Spock glared at Nyota as she made no attempt to stifle her giggles.

"He is certainly your son. There is no mistaking that." She was shaking with laughter now.

"He is also your son. You have equal responsibility for this...this curiosity."

"Right. You just go on thinking that." She patted his shoulder and headed back around to the other side of the cabin with Amanda, leaving him to attempt to explain to Grayson that he could not get that nest down.


	60. Chapter 60:Cabin CampingDay Five

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty - Cabin Camping - Day Five**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson had Amanda by the hand, leading her across the grassy area in front of the cabin. When they got almost to the trees, he sat down on the ground and tugged at her hand to get her to sit down beside him. He bent his head over close to hers. "See that bump of dirt over there, Amanda?" he pointed with one hand. Amanda nodded. "Watch it very closely. There are some little animals there. Be very quiet and watch."

The two children sat almost without moving, and eventually, little heads peeked up. Shiny eyes looked all around, whiskers vibrating beside the long pointed noses. Amanda sucked in her breath and made a tiny, tiny gasping noise. Grayson immediately shushed her. The little heads swiveled quickly, trying to see what was out there. When nothing moved, and there was no more noise, the little heads moved again, the pointed noses sniffling along the piled-up dirt that was the entrance to their home.

After a little bit longer, one of the tiny heads moved up, tiny little feet coming into view. And then there was a whole body there, furry, with six tiny legs, three on each side, and a long, thick tail. The little animal scampered across the ground, headed for the rotted tree that was full of insects. As the two children watched, a long bright pink tongue swept out, lapping up many of the insects and sucking them back into the animal's mouth. The little bugs went into a frenzy, running in every direction. As fast as could be, there were two more of the little animals there, lapping up bugs as fast as they could.

Amanda was shaking, one hand pointing to the bugs, rapidly disappearing into bright pink mouths. She whispered to her brother. "Grayson, bugs! Eat bugs!"

Grayson spoke as quietly as he could. "Yes, Amanda, the animals eat the bugs."

They sat and watched, and when the bugs were almost gone, suddenly there was a swooping sound, and a very large, thick-bodied bird was over the little animals and off again, one hanging beneath it as it flapped across the open area.

Amanda began to scream. Grayson put his arms around her and patted her head, trying to get her to calm down. Both parents came running out of the cabin to see what was wrong.

Nyota knelt down and gathered Amanda up against her. The little girl held on tight, sobbing loudly. "Bugs, Mama! Bugs! Animule, Mama! Bird!"

None of this made any sense to Nyota. She looked at Grayson, who was now sitting in his father's lap. "I brought Amanda out to show her the little animals. Little tiny furry things with six legs, Baba. They were eating the bugs on that tree that is rotting. They have very long bright pink tongues that lap up the bugs." Both parents nodded their heads. "And then, when the bugs were running everywhere, trying to get away, a big bird thing came swooping down and grabbed one of the little animals and carried it off and Amanda got scared."

Nyota hugged Amanda. "How big was the bird-thing?"

Grayson held out his arms as wide as they would go. "And big around, too. With great big orange eyes."

"Well, I guess that would be scary! Poor baby." She rocked back and forth, trying to calm her daughter down. "Why don't we go walk down to the pond and splash in the water?"

Amanda sat up. "Water? Splash?"

"Yes, baby, go splash in the water. No bugs in the water. No birds in the water. Just splashing and fun."

Amanda was up like a shot, grabbing Grayson's hand. "Grayson! Splash!" Grayson laughed and started off with her, their parents following along behind.

Spock shook his head. He wasn't sure how Nyota had known what to distract Amanda with, but he was glad she had, his head had begun to ache from the distress Amanda had projected. He felt Nyota now, sending him calm and soothing thoughts, helping him recover. He might even take off his shoes and walk in the warm water at the edge of the pond.


	61. Chapter 61:Cabin Camping Day Six

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-one - Cabin Camping - Day Six**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson walked along the edge of the pond, kicking at the water with his feet. Amanda was standing some ways behind him, hitting the surface of the water with her hands, making big splashes of water, and giggling continuously. He wanted to swim. But Baba had not gotten in the water, he was sitting on a big rock, just watching. Finally, Grayson decided to ask. "Baba, could I swim, please? The water is nice and warm."

Spock watched his son. There was really no reason why he shouldn't. He stood up and took off the loose shirt he was wearing and dropped in on the rock he had been sitting on, walking down to the water's edge. "Float first."

Grayson grinned happily and flopped over onto his back, spreading out his arms and legs, showing his father that he remembered the very first thing he had been taught about the water - survival floating. He lay quietly upon the water, arms and legs relaxed, as his father slowly approached.

"Very good, Grayson. Now roll over and swim." Spock watched as Grayson began to swim further out into the pond. He followed along behind, not wanting to be too far from him if anything happened. Behind him, he could hear Amanda yelling, "Swim, Swim!" while Nyota held onto her. It was definitely time to teach Amanda to float.

When Grayson had gone as far out as Spock thought safe, he called to him to turn around. Grayson swam in a big arc and started back toward the shore. His strokes were much smoother than they had been, and he was putting his face down in the water and turning to breath with excellent rhythm. It seemed to be an easier exercise for Grayson that it was for Spock, although the fact that he had started at the age of one, and not at eighteen, might have something to do with it. Also, his bones were certainly not as dense.

When Grayson got back to where Spock was standing in the waist-high water, he grabbed his father and rose out of the water. "Toss me, Baba! Toss me in the water!" Spock looked at him, one eyebrow cocked. And then he lifted Grayson up high and flipped him into the air. Grayson tucked himself together as he had practiced on the trampoline, and turned a complete somersault in the air, coming down onto the water on his belly, making water fly everywhere. He came up spluttering and grinning, treading water for a minute before swimming back towards his waiting father.

Nyota watched and grinned, seeing her two men playing together. Amanda was tugging at her, "Toss, mama, toss!"

"No, no, baby girl! You are not ready to toss in the water yet. But Mama will show you how to float, okay?" She picked Amanda up and moved deeper into the water, and then lowered the little girl in, turning her so that she lay on the surface of the water. Amanda tensed up when the water ran into her ears and thrashed her arms and legs. Nyota made little soothing noises and spread her out again. Soon Amanda began to relax and her arms and legs softening, the water buoying her up. She grinned. Nyota grinned back.

When Nyota felt that Amanda was comfortable floating in the water, she began to slowly move her along, turning about so that Amanda moved in a circle. Amanda's eyes got big as she felt the water moving past her body. Spock came up behind them. "You are doing well. She is not frightened at all."

"But I don't think I can handle that dunking thing you taught Grayson." She looked around. "Where_ is _Grayson?"

Spock pointed closer to the shore, where Grayson was practicing dunking under the water and holding his breath. "I am monitoring him closely. However, if you wish me to teach Amanda how to hold her breath when she is dunked, I will let you watch him."

"Deal. She really needs to learn that now." She passed their daughter to Spock and moved closer to Grayson, putting him between her and Spock, so that she could watch both.

Spock held Amanda against his chest and placed two fingers on the side of her face. As Nyota watched, several odd expressions passed across her daughter's face and then she looked at her father with her eyes wide and her mouth open. Spock touched her nose, and slowly lowered his body, until Amanda's chin was in the water. He looked into Amanda's eyes and dropped down quickly, then straightened up again. Amanda sucked in air, water streaming from her hair. She was still for a moment and then started wiggling like crazy. "Dunk, Baba! Dunk!"

Spock repeated his actions several times, until he thought she had had enough lesson for one day. By then, Grayson was there beside him, grinning at Amanda. That was still one of his favorite water games.


	62. Chapter 62:Cabin Camping Day Seven

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-two - Cabin Camping - Day Seven**

**Mid September, 2272**

Grayson waited impatiently. Baba had said that they would take one last hike before packing to leave and he was ready. Mama finished washing Amanda's hands and face and set her on the floor before turning to the table to clean it off. Grayson took Amanda by the hand and led her out into the grass. They walked around the cleared area around the cabin, looking at things for one last time - soft grass, rough tree bark, tiny bugs, flying things, the place where the little furry animals lived. And then Mama and Baba came outside, and Baba had the carrier on his back. Amanda went running and Mama picked her up and sat her In the carrier, fastening the harness. Then she turned and held out his harness and he went quickly so that she could fasten it. Now they were ready to hike!

Off between the trees they went, Grayson leading the way, Mama and Baba following. They passed the tree that had fallen down and had the brightly-colored fungi growing on it. Then they passed the place where they had seen the dark colored flyers attacking the nest of the bright colored flyers. He could see flashes of color in the nest, so the flyers had not been driven away. That was good. He kept going in the same direction and soon came to the tiny stream they had found before. This time he turned and followed along the edge, going in the direction the water came from. Baba had shown him how the water always flowed in one direction and held his hand in the water so that he could feel it. And they had walked in the direction the water was flowing, until they came to the pond. So he knew where the water was going, but he did not know where it came from.

He went between some small trees and Mama made an impatient sound at him. He turned and looked and saw the leash going through a very small space. "Sorry, Mama." He went back the way he had come and helped to untangle the leash, and then went around the clump of willowy trees. He stayed as close to the water as he could without getting his feet wet. The ground here was very soft and his feet sunk in. He stopped and looked. "Baba, look how my feet sink in the ground."

Amanda leaned over Baba's shoulder and began to babble. "Out, Baba, Out, Feets on Ground, Baba, Out."

Mama reached over the unbuckled Amanda and took her out, standing her carefully beside Grayson. Amanda stamped her feet, making squishy sounds and leaving impressions behind her, squealing with glee. And then Baba knelt down and showed them the the impressions would fill with water if they were close enough to the edge of the rushing stream. He made a series of impressions, moving away from there, and showed how they got shallower and shallower, and less damp, as he moved back. Grayson was fascinated. Amanda was interested, but got distracted before he was finished. She found a feather laying on the ground and picked it up, waving it at Mama. Mama laughed and tickled her with it, making Amanda giggle.

When Amanda was settled back in the carrier and buckled down, they started off again. There seemed to be more small bushes here. "Baba, are there more bushes because it is wetter?"

"Yes, Grayson, that is probably the answer. That was good reasoning."

Grayson smiled, happy. And then he stopped and held out his arms, so that Mama and Baba would stop, too. "Look, look, tiny footprints!" And so there were, many many tiny footprints, going back and forth to the water. Baba knelt down against, Amanda still in the carrier, and explained about animals making a path to go to the water. And then Baba tried to figure out what the animals might have been that made the footprints. It was all very interesting.

He carefully stepped over the tiny footprints, leaving them intact. They were too pretty to mess up. And on he went, still trying to find where the water came from. And then he walked around a big bunch of those willowy tree-things and saw it - bubbling up from between some big rocks, coming from the ground in a spurting jet almost as tall as he was! He stood there in astonishment. "Baba! The water comes up out of the ground!"

"Indeed it does. The water is under pressure, which is what makes it shoot up like that." Spock watched his son watch the water. "When we are back on the Enterprise, we can go to the lab and do some experiments to help you understand this, if you wish. Perhaps Scotty and Scotty Jr would be interested in joining us."

Grayson turned to his father in joy. "Oh, yes, Baba, please!"

"Then we will do so. But now it is time to turn about and head for the cabin. After we eat lunch, we must pack everything and clean the cabin."

Grayson nodded. He didn't really want to leave the woods, but he did miss his friends. He headed back towards the cabin, going straight there instead of retracing his steps. Behind him, his mother shook her head. This trait most definitely came from his father, and not from her.

***

They finished off the remaining food and cleaned the kitchen, and then they packed up all the dirty clothing in the big duffle. Everything else went into the backpack. Grayson helped Baba look under furniture for things that might have been dropped. Amanda thought that was a fun game and crawled around looking under everything. Mama went around the house, straightening up. And then they were ready to go. Baba put the carrier on Mama, and then lifted Amanda in. Mama helped him adjust the backpack and then he picked up the duffle with one hand and the end of Grayson's leash with the other, and they started back toward the small town.

***

They turned in the keys and thanked the rental agent, telling him how much they had enjoyed the cabin. And then they headed for the transport station, and in only a very short time they were back on board the Enterprise. Vacation had been fun, but it was good to be home again. While Mama and Baba unpacked, Grayson ran to get his tiny shuttle and flew it all around the playroom while Amanda sat and clapped her hands and laughed.

_______________

Author's Note : Please see notice on my profile page. Thank you.


	63. Chapter 63:Amanda the Artist

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-three - Amanda the Artist**

**Late September, 2272**

Grayson was immediately surrounded by his friends when he and Amanda entered the day care center. Everyone wanted to know all about their vacation. He told them about the tiny bugs and the little furry things that had licked them up and about the big flying thing that had carried off one of the little furry things. Everyone gasped in astonishment at his stories. Amanda put in a word now and then, to emphasize something he said. Jilly laughed and wrapped her arms around Amanda, making her smile. Joey wanted to know more about the flying things. Suzy asked Amanda about the flowers. Stevie and Sam wanted to know more about the bugs and Grrel was more interested in the bright-colored fungi he had seen growing on the rotted tree. Shron was most interested in the water seeping into the footprints and jetting up out of the ground. Grayson told him that Baba had promised to do some experiments to show him how that worked. Maybe Shron's fathers would bring him. Shron got all excited then and said he would have his father's talk to Spock to see whether they could join in the experiments.

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Amanda waved her arms to be picked up and put in one of the chairs with the tray fronts. She was definitely ready to eat. When Miss Betty placed the tiny carrots on her tray, she immediately picked one up and crunched down on it with her sharp little teeth. Then there were cheese cubes and apple slices and some little dark crackers. Amanda finished it all off and smacked her hips in satisfaction. She almost nodded off before Miss Betty came and lifted her up and carried her to one of the cots for naptime.

When everyone was awake again, Miss Betty and Miss Lou brought out a big white box and set it on one of the tables. Everyone came hurrying over to see what it was. Out of the box came the white shirts - that meant that they were going to do something with paints! Miss Betty and Miss Lou helped everyone put one of the white shirts over their clothes and everyone sat in one of the little chairs around the low table. Miss Lou got out a stack of big pieces of white paper and laid one in front of everyone and then Miss Betty got out all the little jars of fingerpaints! Soon the children were happily dipping their fingers into the jars of paint and making designs on the white paper.

Amanda found the paints fascinating. She made swirls of blue and green on the white paper. Then she made streaks of red and yellow on the table top. Next she drew long lines of purple down Pete's white shirt while he sat there in shock. After that she made some more red swirls, but this time on Pete's hands. He puckered up his face, ready to cry.

That wasn't so much fun, so she left him alone and dipped her fingers back into the blue paint. She decorated her chair with it, sliding out to stand on the floor. She was running out of things to paint, and turned around to see the pale wall behind her. With great glee, she proceeded to draw big sweeping scrawls on color on the wall, turning to dip into the paint jars when her fingers ran dry.

Miss Betty turned around from changing Joey's little brother's diaper and saw what Amanda was doing. She shrieked, startling Amanda, who dropped the jar of purple paint, which spattered everywhere - onto the wall, the floor, the table, the chairs, and the other children. Amanda was the only one who did not have spatters of purple paint on her.

When Nyota arrived to pick up her children, she came onto a scene of total chaos. Amanda stood in the middle, grinning wildly, waving her paint-stained fingers at her mother with glee.


	64. Chapter 64:Scissors

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-four - Scissors**

**Early October, 2272**

Nyota held Amanda on her lap and carefully trimmed her fingernails and toenails with a pair of tiny scissors. Amanda watched with total concentration as the trimmings came off her fingers and toes and fell onto the floor. She held up her hands and looked at them, fascinated. Then she held out her hands and made that grabby motion.

"Oh, no, little girl, these scissors are not for you to play with." Nyota put them far back from the edge of the desk. She put Amanda down on the floor and called Grayson over. "I think you need a haircut, little boy."

Grayson peered up through his bangs. Maybe they were just a bit long. He wanted his hair to look as neat as his father's, so he did not object when Mama sat him up on the chair and brushed his hair, then took another, bigger pair of scissors and trimmed here and there. When she was finished, she brushed him off and gave him a big smack on the cheek. "There you go, all handsome again." Grayson giggled at her.

Nyota turned to the comlink to answer an incoming call, forgetting to move the scissors back out of reach. Amanda watched, hopeful. When her mother finished the call and headed for the bathroom, Amanda stretched up on tiptoe and grabbed the scissors. With a wide smile on her face, she toddled across the room, clutching her prize to her chest.

On the far side of the room, Spock was seated on his floor pillow before his firepot, deep in meditation. The approach of his daughter did not disturb him in any way, as he was used to her activities. Even the light touch of the cool metal did not really penetrate. It was not until Nyota screeched at Amanda that he began to rise upwards to awareness. He opened his eyes to see Amanda right in front of his eyes, holding a pair of scissors. Quickly he raised his hand and closed it about the blades, directing them away from his eyes.

Amanda puckered up her face and whimpered. Nyota crossed the room quickly and knelt down, taking the scissors from Spock. "Oh, my!"

"What is the problem?"

Nyota held up the short pieces of black hair that Amanda had cut off. "She actually managed to cut your hair."

Spock sighed. "How much damage did she do? Can you fix it?"

Nyota looked critically at the jagged ends of Spock's bangs. "I can try to even it out, but there is no way I can hide what she did." She sighed and made several small snips. She sat back on her heels and looked at him, trying not to laugh. "Ah, children."

Spock unfolded himself from the floor and walked into the bathroom, looking in the mirror. There was total silence. Nyota followed him, looking over his shoulder. "She was just fascinated with the scissors. She didn't realize what she was doing."

"No, I am sure she did not. I shall have to concentrate on making that section of hair grow faster until it is even again." He sighed. "What next?"


	65. Chapter 65:Looking Good

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-five - Looking Good**

**Late October, 2272**

Nyota gave a final brush to Grayson's hair and told him to go help Baba set up the camera. Then she turned her attention to her daughter, who was prancing around her room in her diaper and nothing else. "Come on, little girl, time to dress up all pretty."

"Pity dress?"

"Yes, very pretty dress, all pink." Nyota laughed at the grin on her daughter's face. "See? All pretty dress." She held up the newest dress she had received from her mother.

Amanda came running and held up her arms. In no time at all, she was wearing the ruffly pink dress and little pink socks with lace ruffles on the cuffs. Nyota put little pink bows on her tiny braids and smiled at her. "There you go. Go show Baba and Grayson how pretty you are."

Amanda headed for the playroom, where Spock was setting up for the photo shoot, Grayson 'helping'. Nyota stepped across the baby gate and headed for the bathroom, to check her hair and be sure her clothes were still clean after changing both children. She added the new earrings Spock had given her, and the glowing star pendant that had been her twenty-first birthday present from him, as well.

When Nyota stepped back over the baby gate, she saw that everything was ready. The camera sat on its tripod, and the chairs were arranged. Spock had the small remote device in one hand, and their daughter by the other. She went and sat in the chair he indicated and he lifted Amanda up and set her down in Nyota's lap. Then he sat in the other chair and Grayson came and reached up. Spock sat him down on one leg. Now they were there, all facing the camera and Spock pressed the button, making the bright light flash.

Next they traded children, and took another picture. Then they sat the children in the chairs, and stood behind them, and took another picture. Last, they moved the chairs away, and stood, holding their children, for another picture.

After that, Spock took the camera to the com link and they uploaded the images and looked at them. Yes, these pictures had all turned out nicely as well. After some discussion, they decided which one to send to each relative and sent them all off with a short note. Then Nyota changed the children out of their dress-up clothes and into play clothes. And she and Spock changed as well.

And then it was play-time! When they stepped over the baby gate, Amanda came running, ready for exercise time. Grayson was right behind her. Nyota stepped back over and put some lively music on, turning to see her children dancing about the room, trying to get their father to participate. She laughed happily and went to join them. She definitely knew the secret to getting Spock to dance.


	66. Chapter 66:Little Hands on the Strings

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-six - Little Hands on the Strings**

**Mid November, 2272**

Spock carried the package in and set it down on the table in the dining alcove. Nyota looked at him, questioningly, but he just shook his head slightly and ignored the package, once it had been set down. It wasn't until Grayson had finished his letter practice and came to show them the new letters he could make that the package was noticed again.

"Baba, there is a package on the table."

"So there is."

"Who is it for? What is it? Where did it come from? Can we open it?"

"So many questions. Which one shall I answer?"

"Answer them all, Baba! Packages have good things in them." Grayson was walking around the table, looking at the package, trying to figure out what might be in it.

"Where is your sister? We do not open packages unless everyone is here to watch."

"I will get her, Baba, right away." Grayson dashed off to the playroom, through the open baby gate, coming back shortly with Amanda by the hand. "Now, Baba. Can we open the package now?"

Spock waited until Nyota had picked Amanda up and set her on the couch before picking up the package and the small knife he had left beside it. Carefully he slit the seals on the package and lifted the top off. Then he put the small knife away, where it would not tempt small hands. When he came back to the table, Grayson was standing with both hands on the tabletop and his chin resting between them. His lips quirked up to see how interested his son was in the contents of the package. Carefully he lifted out the small case that was inside the package. He handed the packaging to Grayson, who ran to stuff it in the recycle slot and hurried back to look at the wood and leather case on the table.

"Baba, that looks like your ka'athyra case."

"So it does. Why do you suppose that is?" Spock watched his young son carefully.

Grayson's eyes lit up and his mouth formed a small 'O'. His voice came out on a breath of wonder. "Oh, Baba, is this my ka'athyra?"

"Yes, indeed it is. It was difficult to find, but as you can see, here it is." Spock lifted the small case and set it down on the floor. Grayson immediately sat beside it and very, very carefully opened the clasp and laid the lid to the side, revealing the glowing wood of the small instrument inside. With one careful finger he touched the wood, stroking it softly.

Spock knelt down beside him. "It is time for your first lesson, which is how to care for your instrument." He had a small bottle, which he set down by Grayson. "This is the oil for the wood, to keep it soft and supple. You will need a very soft cloth to rub it in with."

Grayson jumped up and ran into the other part of the apartment, coming back with one of the soft washcloths that Nyota had used when the children were tiny babies. "Is this good?"

"Yes, but you must ask your mother if you may use that."

"Mama, Mama, may I please have this cloth to polish my ka'athyra with?"

"Yes, Grayson, you may have it." Nyota smiled as she watched her son kneel down beside his father and follow his instructions for polishing the wood of the new instrument. He was very careful not to get the oil on the strings. When the instrument was shiny, Spock showed him how to hold it and Grayson sat there, smiles wreathing his face, holding the small instrument in his hands.

Spock nodded at him. "You have done well. Tomorrow I will show you how to determine whether the instrument is in tune or not and how to adjust the strings if it is not. After that we will begin with the techniques for producing sound and the scales. After you have learned all the basic scales and chords we will begin with melodies. You must practice what you have learned every day. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Baba, oh, yes." Grayson's eyes shone happily. "And can we build a new clasp like the one you have, so that if anything happens to make the ship do strange things my ka'athyra will not be broken?"

Spock's lips quirked up. "That would indeed be an excellent thing to do. For now, you must keep it in the case at all times when you are not having a lesson or practicing."

Grayson nodded, and carefully laid the now shiny instrument back in its case, closing the lid and fastening the latches once more. He carried the case into his bedroom and found a place for it inside his bottom drawer, where the case just fit. It would be safe there, unable to move about. He returned to the living area and crawled up into his father's lap, giving him a big hug. "Thank you so much, Baba, for my ka'athyra. I promise to take very good care of it."

"I am sure that you will. And now it is storytime. You must go and put your nightclothes on."

"Will you play tonight, Baba? And sing, Mama? I would like that very much."

Nyota smiled. "I think that can be arranged." She almost laughed at the eagerness with which Grayson ran off to change into his pajamas. She picked up the sleepy Amanda and carried her into her bedroom to change as well. Spock followed along, his ka'athyra in hand, and they settled down in the playroom to play and sing a lullaby for their children.


	67. Chapter 67:More Than Noise

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-seven - More Than Noise**

**Late November, 2272**

Spock sat and watched as Grayson lifted his ka'athyra from its case and settled it down over his left thigh, the long curved neck leaning on his right shoulder. He positioned his hands carefully and then looked up at his father. Spock nodded slightly. Very, very carefully, Grayson laid his hands on the strings and proceeded to pluck one note after another, running up and down the first scale. When he had finished, he laid his hand on the strings softly, to mute them, and raised his face, smiling. Spock's lips quirked up at the ends. "That was perfect, Grayson. Now continue."

Grayson bent to his task, progressing through the scales, one at a time. When he came to the end of the last one, he silenced the strings again and gave a deep sigh.

"Yes, you have completed all the scales with no errors. I am quite satisfied with your progress, my son. You are now ready to begin learning to play chords."

Grayson's small face beamed with pride. He sat very quietly while Spock collected his own ka'athyra and settled down beside him. He watched very carefully as his father demonstrated the necessary hand positions and techniques. Before very much time had passed, the sound of two ka'athyras rang out in the room.

Nyota paused in the doorway on her way across the apartment, watching her two men, heads bent, hands passing over the strings of their instruments. The sound from Grayson's was lighter, higher, and not as complex, but it was pure and formed from perfect tones. He seemed to be a natural when it came to this talent. He followed his father in so many ways. She listened to Spock's calm voice, giving simple, clear instructions which Grayson followed explicitly. And then there were more sounds, pure and clear, echoing around the room. He was working so hard to learn and she was so proud of him.

In the playroom, Amanda was fussing. Nyota stepped over the baby gate and went to her. "Are you lonely, little girl? Your brother is busy, isn't he? Suppose we play a game, just you and me?"

Amanda smiled at her and held up her arms and Nyota picked her up and danced around the room to the sounds of the music from the other room, talking softly to her as she moved. Amanda waved her arms in time to the sounds, smiling now.


	68. Chapter 68:Melody

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-eight - Melody**

**Early December, 2272**

Spock and Grayson were seated side by side on the floor of the playroom, their ka'athyras resting on their left thighs, the long curved necks against their right shoulders. They went through the entire set of scales in perfect harmony, the sounds rolling out to fill the room. Amanda sat and swayed back and forth, entranced. When they stopped, she waved her arms and laughed. "Pity, Baba. Pity, Grayson."

Spock looked at her, his lips quirked up. "Do you like the music, Amanda?"

"Pity music, Baba. More. More music, Grayson."

Spock inclined his head towards his son. "Are you ready to try the new thing, Grayson?"

"Oh, yes, Baba, let us play the melody together, please."

"Very well, then. Let us begin." And he laid his hands on the strings and began to play the simple melody. Grayson joined in, playing exactly the same notes as his father, although from his instrument they were higher and not as full in tone. Amanda sat and listened, very quietly.

Nyota stood in the doorway and listened. She knew that song. When the music stopped, she stepped over the baby gate and came to sit beside Amanda. "Will you play while I sing?"

Spock looked at Grayson, whose face glowed with joy. "Oh, please, Mama."

Spock started the music again, and Nyota joined in, singing the words to the simple song. Amanda rocked back and forth beside her, listening carefully. The third time Nyota sang the chorus, Amanda's voice joined in. The words were not as clear, and the tone was not nearly as strong, but the pitch was perfect. When the song was over, Nyota picked her daughter up and hugged her tight.

"It seems we have another singer in the family." Spock's lips were definitely turned up now.

"So it would seem. Perhaps we need to have more family music time."

"She will need to learn more words."

"So I will teach her words while you teach Grayson notes, and then we can all play and sing together."

"That is very acceptable to me. What about you, Grayson?"

"Oh, yes, Baba. I like it very much."

And so it was.


	69. Chapter 69:Words

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Sixty-nine - Words**

**Mid December, 2272**

As Spock and Grayson settled down with their ka'athyras for their evening practice, Nyota picked Amanda up and headed out the door. Amanda held onto her mother, wondering where they were going. When they reached the big room with the wide window, she was entranced. She waved her hands and pointed to the lights she could see. "What? Mama, what?"

"Those are stars, Amanda. Those little lights are big stars, far away."

"Stah?"

"Sta-ar." Nyota took Amanda's little hands and molded them around her mouth as she pronounced the word again. She knew that the 'r' sound was still hard for Amanda to say.

Amanda tried again. "Stah-aw." She frowned. "No, Mama. Say again."

Nyota put her tongue to the roof of her mouth and trilled a long r sound. "RRRRR."

Amanda giggled. Then her face straightened up and she looked at Nyota's mouth. "How? Mama, how?"

"Put the end of your tongue up against the top of your mouth, baby. Then make your tongue vibrate." She opened her mouth and showed Amanda what she was doing. Amanda peered closely, then made a satisfied little sound. She contorted her face and concentrated and produced a very fine long rolled 'r'. Then she laughed and clapped her hands.

"Okay, now try star again."

"Sta-ar. Star. Star, star, star. Mana can say star, Mama!"

"Yes, you can, baby girl. Indeed you can." Nyota danced around the room, singing the nursery rhyme Spock was teaching Grayson. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." Amanda laughed and clapped her hands and then she tilted her head and listened, very hard. The third time Nyota started the verse, Amanda joined in, singing happily with her mother.

***

When they got back to their quarters, Grayson was waiting eagerly to play his new song for them. And he was very surprised when his mother and baby sister started singing along to his playing. His face beamed with joy as the whole family joined together to play and sing.


	70. Chapter 70:More Words

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy - More Words**

**Late December, 2272**

As Amanda's vocabulary grew, she became more and more interested in learning new words. She dragged Nyota around the apartment, questioning about everything that she did not have the words for. They would sit on the playroom floor, while Nyota showed Amanda how to hold her mouth, where to place her tongue, how to breathe, to make the sounds come out right. For a child of only eighteen months, Amanda was amazingly focused. Sometimes Nyota forgot how young she was.

One night, as the regular word lesson was in progress, Spock watched from the doorway. He was very impressed with his adun'a and even more impressed with his ko-fu. She possessed such a longing to learn. He could feel her, burning so brightly. When she successfully mimicked the sound her mother was making, she exploded with glee, her laughter bright and shiny in his mind as well as his ears. She was so happy that Grayson came running to see what was going on. He stood there, one hand in his father's, watching his mother and sister hugging each other. "She is learning many words, Baba."

"Yes, indeed she is. She is learning words as fast as you are learning notes."

Grayson grinned up at him. "Am I learning that fast, Baba?"

"You are learning much faster than anticipated, Grayson. I am quite pleased with your attention to your lessons. Your progress is extremely acceptable to me. And to your mother." One large hand gently caressed his son's head, soothing the wavy hair down into the calm cap that Grayson wanted so much. "You are a continuous pleasure to me, my son."

Grayson glowed with pride. His father's words filled him with happiness. He did try very hard at everything he did, to do it well. To hear his father say that this was noticed and appreciated was very welcome. He leaned against Spock's leg as they watched Amanda, wiggling about in joy, babbling all the new words she had learned. She was almost singing. And then, as they watched, Nyota bubbled over and began to chant along with Amanda, their voices twining around each other happily.

"Tables and chairs and beds. Plates and napkins and forks and spoons. Big knives. Floor and ceiling and wall. Words, Mama! Dress and pants and shirt and socks. Bath and water and soap and bubbles. Words, Mama! Toys and walks and flowers and cake! Baba and Grayson and Mama and me! Words, Mama! Stars and ships and windows. Trees and animals and flyers and grass. Vacation, Mama! Hair and braids and bangs and ponytail! Words, Mama!"

Nyota picked up her ecstatic daughter and whirled her around. "Yes, words, Amanda. Words are wonderful. Once you know words you can say anything you feel. Oh, baby girl, words are the way to understand everything."

Amanda laughed and clapped her hands and then she saw her father and brother standing in the doorway. "Baba, Amanda learning words! Many words!"

"Yes, indeed you are, Amanda. I can hear you, saying new words. Soon you will be able to understand everything that you hear around you."

Amanda cocked her head and looked at her father. "Understand. Yes, I understand. Words help me say I understand! WORDS!"

Nyota set her back on the floor and she jumped and wiggled and danced around the room. "words, words, words, Amanda loves words." The other three watched her and smiled, enjoying her excitement. Words, indeed.

_____

Adun'a = wife

Ko-fu = daughter


	71. Chapter 71:New Friends at Day Care

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-one - New Friends in Day Care**

**Early January, 2273**

As Nyota dropped off Grayson and Amanda in the day care center, she saw two of her friends coming in. "Today's graduation day, then?"

"Yes, out of infant care and into toddler care for these two." Tamara and Jen smiled and continued on into the day care center with their six-month-olds, handing them over to Miss Betty and Miss Lou before heading off to work. All the children gathered around to see the new babies. There were both a boy and a girl, and they were as different as they could be.

Jack McCoy sat up and looked around, wondering who all these little people were. His eyes found Grayson and Amanda and he smiled. These were familiar faces, almost the same color as he was. But his hair was lighter, almost brown. His dimples flashed as he crowed at his friends. Miss Betty sat him down carefully near the pile of fuzzies and watched as Amanda came and sat down beside him, handing him a fuzzy to hug.

Ankaret Sulu was so different, petite and quiet. Her skin was much lighter than Jack's, but darker than Jilly's. Her straight black hair shined in the lights. When Jilly sat down beside her and offered her a fuzzy, she took it and examined it carefully, as though determining how it was made. Jilly laughed.

Amanda turned to see what Jilly was laughing at and came to Ankaret's side. "Jilly, this is Ankaret." Amanda pronounced her name very carefully. "She is my friend and you are my friend, so you should be friends also." Amanda smiled and reached out and touched both girls, one older and one younger. "We are the only girls in the day care. We are friends." And all three girls smiled at each other. Ankaret hugged the fuzzy Jilly had given her and rocked back and forth. Amanda reached over and got more fuzzies and the three girls sat and rocked and hugged the fuzzies, while the boys laughed and tussled with each other.

After lunch, Miss Betty put the two new children into the cribs to take a nap while the other children lay on the cots. The little ones were two small for cots yet. While all the children were napping, Miss Betty and Miss Lou sat in the rocking chairs and relaxed, catching their breath. Eleven toddlers were a lot to take care of!

After naptime, the seven boys - excluding Jack - all climbed into the sand box and in no time there was sand everywhere. Jilly and Amanda stayed well away, alternately playing with the colored blocks and going over to talk to Ankaret. They could hardly wait for her to grow enough to play on the floor with them all the time.

In his crib, Jack watched the other boys in the sand box. Although he fussed and whined, Miss Betty would not put him down there. Had he been able, when his father came to pick him up, he would have complained long and loud!


	72. Chapter 72:Tales of the Desert

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-two - Tales of the Desert**

**Late January, 2273**

After Grayson and Amanda were in their pajamas, ready for storytime, Nyota went back into the other room and came back with the big white box. Both children immediately became excited. They remembered what had happened the last time that white box came to storytime.

When Spock came and settled down on the floor on the playroom, Grayson and Amanda came running. Grayson sat down beside his father, leaning against his side, and Amanda crawled into his lap. Nyota sat down on the other side of Spock, and lifted the lid off the white box, setting it off to the side. She lifted out the reddish-tan rough cloth and laid it out on the floor in front of Spock.

Spock wrapped his arms around his children and began to speak. "Once there was a small boy who lived on the planet Vulcan, which was a red planet with many deserts. One desert was very close to the house where the boy lived with his father and mother and his pet sehlat. The boy would often go and walk in the desert, his sehlat by his side." Nyota reached into the white box and drew out the small figure of the Vulcan boy and set it on the cloth. Then she reached in again and drew out the figure of the sehlat and set it beside the boy. Amanda clapped her hands once, and then was quiet again, watching carefully. Grayson leaned forward, over his father's knee, both hands there to brace himself.

Spock continued. "One day while the boy and his friend were walking in the desert, the boy decided to climb down into a crevice to see what was at the bottom." Nyota lifted something out of the box and set it on the floor, lifting the red cloth and laying it over the top, then pushing it down in the middle. There on the floor was a big crevice, almost a valley. She set the figures of the boy and the sehlat at the top edge, looking down into the bottom.

"Carefully the boy climbed down the side of the crevice. The sehlat barked at him, telling him not to do this, but the boy did not listen." Nyota moved the figure of the boy slowly down the steep side of the crevice.

"When the boy was almost at the bottom of the crevice, the loose stones on the steep slope began to roll down. The boy lost his footing and fell to the bottom, the stones bouncing down around him." Nyota made the figure of the boy tumble down the remainder of the slope and lie on the bottom. She reached into the white box and brought out a handful of small smooth rocks, which she dropped over the figure of the boy. Grayson gasped and leaned further forward. Amanda grabbed onto her father's arm and held tightly, peering sideways at the figures.

"The boy lay on the ground, aching from the places where the stones had hit him. When he sat up and tried to stand, he discovered that one foot and ankle were buried in stones that he could not move. He was trapped there in the bottom of the crevice. His sehlat stood at the top of the crevice and barked at him, but he could not climb up again." Nyota moved the figure of the boy so that he was sitting up, with all the stones piled over one foot.

"The boy called to his sehlat and told him to run home and bring help. The sehlat cried mournfully, for he did not want to leave his friend alone. But the boy spoke firmly to him and told him to go, and so the sehlat did." Nyota moved the figure of the sehlat far away from the crevice and the boy.

"When the sehlat arrived back at the house without the boy, the boy's mother became alarmed. The sehlat would not let her come close, but kept backing away and barking. The boy's mother called the boy's father at his office and said to come home quickly, that something was wrong. The boy's father came and watched the sehlat, and set off across the desert after him. The sehlat led the way, turning and barking if he thought the boy's father was too slow." Nyota reached into the box and brought out the figure of a tall male Vulcan, dressed in dark robes, and set it down beside the sehlat. Amanda laughed and reached out, wanting to touch, but then remembered and put her hands back in her lap. Grayson was smiling, too, confident that the boy's father would find him.

"When the boy's father and the sehlat arrived at the crevice, the boy's father called to him, and the boy answered, telling his father what the problem was. The boy's father climbed down slowly, being very careful not to jostle any of the remaining stones." Nyota moved the figure of the tall Vulcan slowly down the side of the crevice, until he stood beside the boy.

"When the boy's father was at the bottom of the crevice, he carefully unpiled the stones which had trapped the boy. Then he lifted the boy into his arms and started up the side of the crevice." Nyota put the figure of the boy in the arms of the tall figure and moved them partway up the side of the crevice.

"The walls of the crevice were steep, and the boy's father had trouble climbing with the weight of the boy in his arms. The sehlat came and began to push against the father's back, helping." Nyota moved the figure of the sehlat down, and put it behind the other figures, his head down and pushing against the back of the tall figure.

"At length, the father and the sehlat reached the top of the crevice and started off across the desert toward their home." Nyota moved the figures over the top of the crevice and some distance away.

"When they arrived home, the boy's mother washed his ankle and foot, which had cuts and bruises from the stones. And she put the boy to bed to recover from his ordeal. She gave the sehlat a special treat." Nyota reached into the white box and brought out the bed, moving the other items off to the side. She set the bed down and laid the boy on it. Then she set the sehlat down beside the bed and put a large colored vegetable down beside it. Grayson and Amanda both laughed.

"It did not take the boy long to recover from his misadventure, but he was more careful in the future, for he had scars upon his ankle to remind him of his foolishness." Spock was quiet now, but Grayson sat up straight.

"Baba, I have seen those scars!"

"Yes, indeed you have."

Grayson pulled up the bottom of the loose pants Spock was wearing and looked at the faint white lines on his ankle. "These are the crevice scars!" Amanda leaned over to look, her hands over her mouth. Over their heads, their parents looked at each other, hoping that their children had absorbed the lesson.


	73. Chapter 73:On the Com

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-three - On the Com**

**Mid February, 2273**

After supper, Nyota sat down at the com link, ready to make some calls. Spock came and leaned over, touching the back of her neck softly. "Do you wish all of us to join in the calls?"

"Perhaps later. First I need to tell them when we are coming and how long we will be able to stay. Then you can bring the children in."

"This sounds appropriate. I will be sure their faces are clean."

She smiled at him and squeezed his fingers, and then began to enter the codes for the call she wished to make. In a short time, there was the face of her father on the screen.

"Nyota! We were not expecting a call from you today. Is anything wrong?"

"No, Baba, nothing is wrong. Our five-year mission is almost over, and we have just been given the dates of our leave on Earth, so I am calling to tell you when we will be able to visit."

Her father turned excitedly and called out to her mother to come quickly. When both were seated in the pick-up area, she continued. "The Enterprise will arrive at Earth's SpaceDock in late May. There are procedures we will need to complete before we can get away. And then we need to do some shopping and arrange to have everything transported to the Enterprise before it leaves again. After that we will have free time to come and visit you in June."

Both parents were ecstatic. "The babies! We will get to see the babies!"

Nyota laughed. "Yes, indeed. But Grayson would not really like to be called a baby. He is four years old now! And Amanda will have her second birthday there in Africa."

Immediately her mother began to plan an enormous birthday party, with all the relatives and friends there. Nyota shook her head, but she knew there was no way she would be able to prevent it.

Her father leaned forward and spoke to her. "How long will you be able to stay, Nyota?"

"At least two weeks, Baba, possibly longer. It will depend on many things and I cannot say definitely right now. But we will most certainly be there for two weeks."

Alhamisi grinned widely. "We will definitely look forward to that. And now, where are my grandchildren?"

At that word, Grayson and Amanda came surging forward, clambering up into Nyota's lap while she laughed, both children talking excitedly to their grandparents. Spock brought forward another chair and sat beside her, hardly able to get a word into the conversation. She could feel his amusement through their bond. It was going to be so much fun, watching her children and her parents when they finally had a chance to meet in person. She could hardly wait.

***

When things had settled down again, she made the second call. When Durra's familiar face appeared, she smiled and Durra laughed in return. "Nyota, how nice to see you! What news do you have?"

"We will be on Earth in June. Will you be there then?"

"Yes, yes, we will! We were just discussing that this morning. How wonderful! Surely we can meet up at least once."

"We will be in San Francisco first, shopping for clothing for the children, and tea, and other things to send to the ship for the next mission. And then we are going to Africa for at least two weeks, and mother is planning a huge party for Amanda's second birthday. Please say that you will all come."

Durra grinned widely and gestured off to the side. Selek's face appeared on the screen beside her. "We will most definitely be there. I will add this event to the official schedule so that no one else makes any appointments for me during that time. We have not been to Africa in over a year, so it is definitely time for us to visit there. Our daughter was only an infant when we were there, and now she is walking and running everywhere."

Hearing Selek's voice, Spock sat back down beside Nyota. "She sounds like a typical S'chn T'gai child, then, Selek. They never seem to walk where they can run." Both men had very pleased expressions on their faces, their lips quirked up at the sides. "Is Sarek coming to Earth at this time as well?"

"I am sure that he will change his plans when he hears of this, if he had not already meant to attend these meetings. I will convey your plans to him this evening."

Spock nodded. "Then we will not need to make another call today. We can wait until our plans are more firmly developed."

Just then Grayson rooted in between his parents and leaned toward the screen. "Aunt Durra! Toz'ot'al Selek! Where are my cousins?"

Durra laughed again, and pulled the two boys who had been hovering beside her in close to the screen. "Here they are, Grayson."

The three boys began to chatter eagerly while the four adults watched. Hearing the voices, Amanda was soon there as well, squeezing in and waving excitedly at the faces on the screen. The babel of voices was soon so thick that Nyota and Durra began to giggle uncontrollably, while Selek and Spock simply shook their heads. When Amanda saw her youngest cousin pull herself up against Durra's knees, she shrieked with joy, causing everyone else to cover their ears, except for the little one, who shrieked right back. June in Africa was going to be ear-splitting.


	74. Chapter 74:Another New Friend

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-four - Another New Friend**

**Early March, 2273**

The family table in the senior officer's mess hall had gotten so crowded that it was necessary to divide into two tables. Of course, not all the families always ate together, and often there were others at the tables with them. Kirk often plopped himself down and helped out, enjoying interacting with the young ones. And since his classes, the parents were quite willing to trust their little ones to his care.

This morning, as the trays were bussed, and parents started off towards the day care center, several of the mothers walked together, carrying their children, or holding them by the hand.

Nyota looked at Sasha and grinned. "Today's the big day, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is indeed. No more baby room, today he gets to go with the big guys."

"Grayson will keep an eye on him, I'm sure."

"Yes, Grayson is so good with him. When they come to stay with us so that you and Spock can do something together, Grayson is a big help to me. And Dmitry always laughs at him."

Hearing his name, the small boy in her arms lifted his head and looked around, spotting Grayson walking beside him. He immediately started calling out. "Ga! Ga!"

Grayson tilted his head up. "Hi, Dmitry!"

Just then they reached the toddler room, and everyone streamed in, some heading straight for the toys they favored. Nyota gave both Grayson and Amanda a hug and Grayson headed straight for the sandbox. Amanda headed for the crib where Ankaret was sitting, smiling happily, Jilly only a short distance behind her.

Sasha carried Dmitry over to Miss Betty, who smiled and took him from her. She carried him over to the crib between Ankaret and Jack, and sat him down. When he recognized his friends from the baby room, he burst into a babble of sound. Both women shook their heads. Miss Betty assured Sasha that Dmitry would be fine and Sasha turned and headed off for the science lab. Dmitry didn't even notice that she had left. There were too many new things to look at, and too many new children to interact with.

One by one, Grayson brought the other boys over and introduced them to Dmitry, who babbled happily at each one. And Amanda brought Jilly over to say hello as well.

After nap time, Miss Betty took Ankaret and Jack and Dmitry out of their cribs and set them on the floor, where the other children could interact with them. Jack and Dmitry babbled at each other, amazed at all the new boys surrounding them. But Miss Betty would not let the littlest ones in the sandbox, no matter how much the older boys begged. The girls just sat in the pile of fuzzies and laughed at the silly boys, wanting to put the babies in the sandbox.


	75. Chapter 75:Band Practice

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-five - Band Practice**

**Mid March, 2273**

Nap time was over in the toddler day care center and Miss Betty and MIss Lou were busy helping one young child after another to the child-sized restrooms when the young man came in with the large box and set it on the long low table. Miss Betty spared him a smile and a nod, and Miss Lou let him know that it would be a few minutes yet before all the children were ready. He settled down on one of the low chairs to wait.

Children began to drift in his direction, wondering what was in the big box, but he just smiled and would not tell them. "We must wait for everyone." was all that he would say.

When the last child had washed his hands and come running out of the restroom to the table to join the others, the young man sat up straight and looked around. "Are we all here now?"

"Yes, Yes." All the children crowded close to see what was going to happen, except the three in the cribs. They all watched from their tiny prisons, unable to join the throng closing in on the young man.

The young man introduced himself as Ensign Terrell, and asked each of the children for their names. And then he began to draw things out of the large box. Some of the children recognized the things as they appeared, but others had not seen them before. Ensign Terrell demonstrated the use of each item before passing it to one of the children. Some of the children waited for specific items to appear, eagerly waving their hands in the air to acquire the objects of their desire. Others were content to take whatever appeared, going to sit in the small chairs happily clutching what they had been handed. At length, all of the children except the three in the cribs had one of the special items.

Then Ensign Terrell reached into the box and drew out three identical items and walked across the room, handing one to each of the three imprisoned children. Jack grabbed his with glee and proceeded to bang it happily against the crib rails. Dmitry copied Jack's actions, gleefully chortling as he banged his stick along with Jack. Ankaret looked at the stick Ensign Terrell had handed her and turned it about in her hands, finding the ridges along the length and drawing it against the rails of her crib, making a long drawn-out moan from it. Ensign Terrell smiled at her, encouraging, before going back to the other children. He drew something from his pocket and seated himself again.

Ensign Terrell lifted one hand in the air and began to move it about, explaining that he was counting the time. The children were to try to keep to the beat he had established. And then, with his other hand, he lifted the small thing he had retrieved from his pocket to his mouth and began to blow into it. The children were mesmerized. And then they looked at the instruments in their hands and began - banging the sticks together, ringing the bells, shaking the maracas and the tambourines. The harmonica tied it all together.

Miss Betty and Miss Lou sat in the rocking chairs and tried to conceal their mirth. The children were totally involved, completely happy. While _someone_ might call this music, to most it would only seem to be somewhat organized noise. But such enthusiasm! They really needed to do this more often. Perhaps Ensign Terrell could be prevailed upon to come on a regular basis, unlike his predecessor, who had hardly been able to stand the cacophony.

Ensign Terrell proved to be extremely patient and understanding, working easily with the children. By the time parents started arriving to carry their children off to supper, some of the children had arrived at an understanding of timing and rhythm. Excitedly, they drug their parents in for an impromptu concert. The parents, although having a very hard time concealing their mirth, gave many thanks to Ensign Terrill for his good work, and that young man left the day care center in a very good mood, ready to come again.


	76. Chapter 76:Baby Calistenics

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-six - Baby Calisthenics**

**Late March, 2273**

Nap time was over and there was a stranger in the day care center. Miss Betty and Miss Lou introduced him to the children as Ensign Peters. He said they should call him 'Coach'. The children looked at each other in confusion. Why did he want them to call him something other than his name? The children watched, intrigued, as 'Coach' set up several things. And then music started to play, with a definite beat to it. And Coach started to do very odd things. After he had done them all once, he began to show the children how to do the exercises. He moved around the room, positioning small bodies, giving instructions. Soon he had all the little boys and girls, except the three in the cribs, moving to the music, jumping and bending and twisting. They all laughed and giggled, entranced with this new activity.

And then coach started the music over and began to count, telling the children which exercise to do, trying to get them to move together, doing the same thing as the same time. Here he did not have so much luck. Miss Betty and Miss Lou stood back and watched, trying to hide their smiles as Coach became frustrated. The children were moving, they were doing the exercises, but they were not in nice straight lines, and they were not all doing the same exercise.

Eventually, Ensign Peters turned off the music and slumped down in exhaustion. The children were still moving happily about the room, some doing jumping jacks, and others stretching and twisting. "I can't get them coordinated, no matter what I do!"

Miss Betty took pity on him. "You did a wonderful job. They are learning the exercises, and enjoying them. Perhaps the next time they will be more in synchronization."

"Do you really think so?"

She just nodded, not wanting to go too far out on that limb.

***

When Ensign Peters returned, two days later, the children came flocking to his side. And soon they were jumping about and twisting and turning again, while he tried to get them all to do the same thing at the same time. It wasn't until he thought of the sit-ups that he actually got them all doing the same thing at once. He beamed with happiness for all of fifteen minutes, until their attention began to wander and some of them climbed into the sandbox.

But Miss Betty encouraged him, and he continued to come, ever hopeful. He soon realized that the older children were more likely to follow his instructions, and obsessed less over the wandering attention of the younger ones. But he never got the precision, the orderly rows of perfectly synchronized movement, that his heart desired.


	77. Chapter 77:Time to Organize

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-seven - Time to Organize**

**Mid April, 2273**

Grayson looked around in confusion. All of his drawers were open, and the toybox as well. Mama sat on the floor with a large box beside her, one of his shirts in her hands. "What are you doing, Mama?"

"I am looking at this shirt, trying to decide whether it is worth keeping or not. You have been very hard on this shirt." She was looking at the small rip under the arm, and the stain on the pocket where he had tried to hide a jelly donut.

"But, Mama, I like that shirt."

She looked at him over the top of the shirt. "But Grayson, it doesn't look very nice any more. Do you want your Bibi to see you in this shirt?"

Grayson thought for a minute, and then shook his head. No, he certainly did not. He sighed. "What are you going to do with it, Mama?"

"I think we will put this one in the bottom drawer of your dresser, where we put the clothing that you can wear when you do experiments with your father."

Grayson smiled in relief. He could still wear that shirt - at least once more. Sometimes, when he and Baba did experiments, their clothing came out very much the worse for it.

He sat down on the floor and watched his mother sort through the remainder of his clothes. Every once in a while, she picked up the PADD that was laying on the floor and typed in a note. When she was finished, there were not so many clothes in his dresser. A few things had been added to the bottom drawer and others put into the box she had. Grayson had noticed that the things that went into the box where the things that were tight or short. He pointed to the box. "Are those things going into storage, Mama?"

"Yes, they are. They are still good enough to wear, but they do not really fit you well anymore. Someday Amanda may wear them. Or, well, you never know."

Grayson looked at her, trying to figure out what she meant, but that last statement made no sense to him at all.

Nyota picked up the box and carried it into Amanda's room, where she began again, pulling out the drawers and going through the clothing. Grayson wandered off, not so interested in Amanda's clothing.

***

When Spock entered their quarters, he could tell that Nyota had been working. Things were piled on the table, and even on the couch. And there was a large box marked 'storage' sitting in the middle of the floor. Carefully skirting the evidence of her bout of organization, he went looking for her, and found her standing in front of their closet, PADD in hand. He bent and kissed the back of her neck and she wiggled and sighed. "What are you doing, k'diwa?"

"I have sorted through all the children's clothing, and filled a box to go in storage of the things they have outgrown which are still nice enough to be worn by another child." Here she paused, and then sighed at the surge of warmth and love he sent her through their link. "And I have made a list of what we need to shop for, for them. And now I am checking our closet, to see what is needed. I have already finished our dresser. I need to buy you many more socks, most of yours are about to dissolve into holes. And I also checked the linen closet. We need towels again."

"And sheets." he nuzzled the back of her neck again.

"ALWAYS sheets." She sighed and then giggled. "And we need to buy more books for Grayson. And I need yarn. I have used almost all that my Bibi left me." She saved the file she had been creating. "We will need to do a lot of shopping."

Grayson came running at hearing that last word. "Shopping? Mama, are we going shopping?"

"Yes, Grayson, when we get to Earth we are going shopping."

"Baba, are we going to buy the Chemistry Set?"

Spock looked at his son, remembering how he had admired the Chemistry Set that Scotty had brought his son last year. "Yes, Grayson, we will buy a Chemistry Set. But you must promise only to use it under my supervision, as we discussed."

Grayson grinned widely and ran around the room, full of exuberance. Nyota just looked at the two of them and shook her head. Amanda toddled into the room, looking for the rest of her family, and began to run after Grayson, not knowing why he was running, but enjoying it just the same. Spock simply stood there, in the middle of it all, and enjoyed his family.


	78. Chapter 78:On the Floor

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-eight - On the Floor**

**Late April, 2273**

Grayson was sitting in the sandbox with the other boys when he heard the two littles in the cribs hollering for all they were worth. He turned around to see what the problem was. Miss Betty had taken Ankaret out of her crib and set her down on the floor beside the pile of fuzzies with Jilly and Amanda. All three girls were hugging fuzzies and rocking back and forth, grinning at each other. But the two boys were still in their cribs. And not at all happy about it.

Grayson stood up and brushed the sand off of his clothes. He tapped Joey on the shoulder. "Hey, let's go talk to the littles." Joey nodded and stood up as well. He made a half-hearted attempt to brush the sand off, and then followed Grayson over to the two cribs where the smaller boys sat.

"Miss Betty, please let Jack and Dmitry out of the cribs and down on the floor. We will play with them."

Miss Betty looked down at Grayson's pleading face. "You promise not to put them in the sandbox?"

"Oh, we won't do that! We promise."

"All right then." Miss Betty walked over to the cribs and lifted Jack down onto the floor, setting him beside the colored blocks. Then she picked up Dmitry and set him beside Jack. Grayson and Joey immediately sat down beside the two smaller boys and began talking to them. Miss Betty went back to the rocking chair beside Miss Lou and sat down and started talking again, watching the children playing at the same time.

Grayson and Joey started building something with the blocks, talking to Jack and Dmitry while they piled red squares on top of green rectangles, and adding yellow pillars and orange triangles. The two smaller boys watching, fascinated. Jack leaned forward, hands on the floor between his feet, wanting that pile of blocks very badly. He raised one fist and shook it in the air, loudly demanding. Grayson looked at him and laughed, handing him a block. Then Dmitry held out his hand, wanting a block as well. Joey handed him a yellow pillar. Dmitry looked at it and stuck it in his mouth, biting down as though he expected something good to eat. Joey laughed and giggled at the sight. Grayson laughed as well.

"No, Dmitry, it's not to eat." But Dmitry just smiled his smile with one tooth showing, and continued to chew on the block. Jack looked at the block in his hand. It was not nice and round, but a big square. It didn't look like food to him. He banged it on the floor and was startled by the loud noise, so he did it again, grinning. Bang, Bang, Bang. All the boys laughed now.

The boys in the sandbox looked over to see what was going on and in no time at all, they were all by the blocks, talking with the little ones, banging blocks of their own, having a fine old time. Miss Betty and Miss Lou watched carefully, to be sure none of the blocks banged down on little fingers or faces, but the boys were being careful.

The girls just looked at the noisy boys and continued to hug the fuzzies.

Approaching parents heard the banging and laughing far down the hall.


	79. Chapter 79:Let's Pack

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Seventy-nine - Let's Pack**

**Early May, 2273**

Grayson watched, eyes wide as Baba lifted down things from the shelf over the big closet. He recognized that big duffle, they had taken that when they went on vacation. And there was another, almost as big. Baba carried them into the dining alcove, and set them on the floor beside the table. And then he went back, and brought out two more, smaller ones and set them in the same place. Mama gave him a kiss and a hug and went into their bedroom, coming back with a stack of Baba's briefs and tee-shirts, setting them on the table. And then she went back again, and came out with her own underwear, setting it on the table as well. Grayson went running into his room, pulling open the dresser drawer that contained his underwear. There was Mama, in the doorway, laughing. "A week's worth of clean underwear, Grayson."

"Yes, Mama, seven pair of briefs and seven tee-shirts." He grinned at her, and began to count. She turned away and went into Amanda's room to gather up her underwear.

Next were socks. Grayson ran back to his room and opened the next drawer, counting carefully to be sure he had seven pair. The table was full now. He watched as Mama took one of the small duffles and put two of everything into it. Then she put the rest into one end of the biggest duffle.

Now she turned to Baba. "Spock, I need you to choose one week's worth of clothing. No uniforms, nothing fancy. Clothes you will be comfortable shopping in." She cocked her head and watched him. "Unless you want me to choose."

"I feel confident that I will be able to choose my own clothing, k'diwa." Baba's lips quirked up and his eyes twinkled. "And then I will assist Grayson in choosing his. You need only select yours and Amanda's."

Mama grinned at him and headed for Amanda's room. Grayson followed Baba, watching him pull jeans and slacks and sweaters out of the closet and dresser. And one shirt that Grayson loved, warm, soft flannel in a bright plaid. Where they going hiking in San Francisco?

When Baba set his stack of clothing on the table, Grayson ran into his own room, eager to help Baba pick out what he would take with him. His jeans, he only had one pair left that fit him, and the dark blue overalls that Bibi and Babu had sent, and the brown slacks. And pullover shirts and sweaters, to wear over the tee-shirts that were already packed. And Baba checked everything to be sure the colors looked good together, because they both knew what Mama would say if they did not.

Back in the dining area, Mama was folding and stacking, and setting things down into the duffle. When all their clothing was in it, it was almost full. And then Mama took one shirt for each of them and added those to the duffle with two sets of underwear in it, filling that duffle up completely. She motioned to Baba, and he fastened it up, setting the thumb lock, then setting the duffle by the door into the corridor.

Now Mama said only one word. "Shoes." Baba nodded and headed for their closet, returning with their hiking boots and a pair of soft-soled shoes for each of them. He held up the soft-soled shoes, showing Mama the bottoms. She sighed and looked for the PADD where she had been keeping a list, adding a note to it while Baba headed into the children's bedrooms, coming back with extra shoes for each child. All the shoes went into the large duffle, pushed into spaces around the edge. And then Baba closed up that duffle as well, and set it against the wall, putting the small duffel on top of it.

Mama looked down at Grayson. "Pajamas, two pair." And Grayson rushed into his room, finding his favorite pajamas and bringing them back. Baba had two of Amanda's sleeping suits, setting them on the table before going into the big bedroom and coming back with the loose pants and tee-shirts that he and Mama slept in.

Mama turned to Baba and gave him a list. "Umbrella? Jackets. Sweat shirts. Bathing suits. Do we have any sandals left? I think we have beach towels somewhere. I will gather the hairbrushes and toothbrushes and such."

Baba turned and headed for the children's rooms, Grayson trailing behind. Amanda kept trying to decide who to follow as everyone kept moving from room to room. Soon the second large duffle was almost full, and the second small one as well. Now Mama turned to Amanda. "Baby girl, go bring me a fuzzy to pack for you to sleep with while we are traveling. And you too, Grayson. And bring your primer as well." Grayson ran to get those items and bring them back, while Amanda struggled, carrying the largest fuzzy she had. Mama just laughed at her, and told her to go back and get a smaller one. Amanda looked like she might pout, but Mama leaned down and kissed the end of her nose, and she smiled again.

Baba went about, collecting PADDs and a few other small items, bringing them to Mama, who packed them into the small duffle. And then all the duffles were full, and Mama was grinning. "All packed!" And Baba set the last of the duffles against the wall and turned back to her, looking satisfied.

"Now," said Mama, "we only have to do the laundry, and straighten everything up, and put clean sheets on all the beds, and clean towels in the bathrooms, so that we come home to nice, clean quarters." And she turned and headed for the children's area, to collect the laundry. Baba sighed and headed for the big bedroom, where he stripped the bed and carried the sheets to the living area, bundling them up. Soon he was headed down the corridor, the large bundle of sheets and towels in his arms, headed for the main laundry. Mama was filling the small 'fresher with underwear, and soon its rhythmic noise echoed in the small closet where it sat.

When Baba came back, the large packet of clean, folded sheets and towels hanging from one hand, Mama had most of the clothing clean and folded. Together they put everything away where it belonged, and quickly moved about their quarters, putting things away, straightening everything up, putting clean sheets on all the beds, and clean towels in the bathrooms. Mama straightened up at last, sighing in relief. "Done, all done." She looked around. "Anyone hungry?"

Grayson and Amanda came running. "Supper time, Mama?"

"Yes, indeed. Let's go see what they have in the mess hall, what do you say?"

They found the mess hall full of excited people, oh so ready for the long leave that was almost there. Everyone wanted to know where everyone else was headed. It was almost as exhausting as the packing had been!

Two children tumbled into bed that night, totally worn out. And slept soundly, giving their parents a chance for some much needed alone time.  


	80. Chapter 80:Headed for San Francisco

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty - Headed for San Francisco**

**Early May, 2273**

Grayson awoke and instantly jumped out of bed, running into his sister's room to see whether she was awake yet. She sat up in bed and looked at him, and then lit up. "Vacation!" Grayson grinned at her and helped her down out of the bed. The two children went running across the playroom, headed for their parents bedroom.

Fortunately for them, their father heard them approaching, and was partially awake when they burst into the room. He lifted one hand to forestall their eagerness and slowly rolled over to face them. "Return to your rooms. Your mother is not awake yet."

Beside him, Nyota stirred and mumbled. "Are they up already?"

"Yes, indeed they are."

She sighed and rolled over, casting a look in their direction, seeing their eager faces. "We might as well get up then. They won't possibly go back to sleep." She sat up and looked at her two children, trembling with eagerness. "Okay, it's like this. Those pajamas go under your pillows, so that they are ready to wear the night we get back here. Unless Amanda's are wet."

Grayson immediately responded. "They are not wet, Mama. I checked."

"Okay, go help her get undressed then. Get ready for your bath."

Grayson took Amanda by the hand and they headed back towards their part of the apartment. Spock lay back on the bed and looked at his wife, teasing. "They will be running around the playroom naked in no more than two minutes."

She groaned and turned to him. "You are not helping." She leaned over and bit his ear, then whispered to him. "And if you want to play in the shower this morning, mister, you better move it."

Immediately he picked her up and lifted her over him and onto the floor, following before she even stabilized her footing. Laughing, she hurried to run the children's bath, conscious that behind her, he was setting up their shower.

***

Four clean, dressed people assembled in the living area a short time later. Nyota checked everyone, and nodded her approval. She dashed about, tucking up the beds, checking that the towels were spread out to dry, looking for any last-minute chores to do. And then they were sitting at the table, eating breakfast from the synthesizer, because she knew what chaos the mess hall would be this morning, and her children were already on overload.

Both Grayson and Amanda were very careful, not to spill anything this morning. And then they went running, to wash their hands and faces, coming back to find the table cleared, and their parents taking the carrier backpack down from the high shelf. Amanda immediately began to squeal with delight, and Nyota laughed at her. Spock shrugged into the carrier, and Nyota helped him to adjust the straps, and then lifted her laughing daughter up into place, securing the buckles on her straps carefully.

Nyota went to the pile of duffels and picked up the two small ones, telling Grayson to grab onto the strap on the side of one of them. Spock bent carefully, and picked up the two large duffels, Amanda laughing loudly at the dip. Nyota went to the door and pressed the button that would hold it open, while Spock carefully maneuvered out. When he was in the middle of the hall, she exited as well, Grayson hanging onto the strap beside her. She entered their override code at the touchpad. No one would be in their quarters over the long leave unless there was some sort of emergency.

They headed down the corridor to the turbolift, where Spock once again went through careful maneuvers to enter, ducking down to avoid bumping Amanda, who was leaning down close to him, the way she had been taught. And these actions were repeated again to exit from the turbolift on the transporter deck.

Nyota turned to Spock. "We're to go to transporter 4, right?"

"Yes. That is our assignment."

She led the way down the corridor, and found that there were two families ahead of them. They joined the end of the line, and Spock set down the large duffels.

The captain had ordered that all families would disembark first, leaving the unattached crew members to finish locking down the ship. By the time all the families were clear, the ship would be almost shut down, and the other crew members could start to disembark, themselves. It was a strategy that turned out to work very well.

The family at the head of the line moved up onto the lighted discs, and the family in front of them moved into the transporter bay, to stand ready. Nyota moved in front of Spock, so that he did not have to pick up the heavy duffels again, only to move a few feet.

The swirls cleared, and the family in front of them was waved onto the dais. Nyota moved through the door, into the transporter room. Spock picked up the duffels and moved after her, not setting them down again. In only a moment, it was their turn. He climbed up on the dais and set the two duffels on the two back lit discs, taking the one on the far side himself. Nyota lifted Grayson up and stood him on the disc in front, taking the one just behind him herself. Grayson clasped his hands in front of him as he had been instructed, and stood very still, waiting for the tickling swirls to begin.

They were really on their way!


	81. Chapter 81:To the Embassy

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-one - To the Embassy**

**Early May, 2273**

When the swirling patterns stopped, Grayson looked about eagerly. This transporter room was huge! Nyota stepped forward, down off the deck, and reached for Grayson. He reached his hands out to her, and she set him on the floor beside her, telling him to hand onto the strap again. Spock stepped down beside them, waiting for the luggage handlers to bring the duffels to him. And then the family stepped forward, out of the marked area, into the waiting area. And there was the gatekeeper, waiting for them. He took one of the duffels from Spock and led the way out of the busy transit station, to the waiting groundcar.

Grayson's eyes were big, taking in all the new sights. His head swiveled back and forth, hardly knowing what to look at first. Above him, on Baba's back, Amanda was babbling happily, exclaiming over all the strange things she was seeing. The gatekeeper opened the cargo area of the groundcar and put the duffel he was carrying in, then took the one Spock was carrying and added it. Next he took the two small duffels from Nyota and added them. Then he waited while Nyota lifted Amanda from the carrier and Spock undid the buckles and straps, shrugging out of the carrier and handing it to him to be put into the cargo area as well. When the cargo area door was shut and locked, he unlocked the doors to the passenger area and assisted the family in getting settled within. He sat in the pilot's seat and started the engine. Grayson leaned over the back of the seat, watching, until his father pulled him down onto the seat and fastened the webbing over him.

It was only a few short blocks to the embassy, and they drove in through the tall front gate, pulling around to the unloading dock on the side of the building. The gatekeeper opened the cargo area, and two tall and broad young men appeared, each taking one of the large and one of the small duffels, heading inside immediately, knowing where the assigned quarters for the family were without waiting. Spock took Amanda on his left hip, and offered his right hand to Grayson, heading inside the building, with Nyota walking beside him. Inside, a Vulcan woman awaited, handing over a door wand to Nyota, and telling her the number to their quarters. Nyota thanked her, and the family headed for the turbolifts.

Grayson looked around, his eyes even wider. Almost everyone in this building looked like Baba! He was amazed. Until now, he had seen very few Vulcans who were not his relatives, and never gathered together like this. The tall men and women moved about swiftly, going about their business, paying little attention to the family. Grayson heard Amanda then, speaking to Baba, amazed at all the pointed ears she saw. And Baba chided her gently, softly, for speaking so loud, being impolite. Chastised, Amanda clung to him, resting her face against his chest. When they were in the turbolift, Mama reached over, and patted Amanda's back gently.

"It's okay, baby girl. Just remember not to speak so loudly."

"Yes, Mama, yes, Baba. I will remember."

They exited the turbolift and walked down the carpeted hall until they came to the right door. Nyota used the door wand to open the door and they walked in, finding their luggage sitting on the floor in the largest bedroom. Baba put the two children down, and they immediately began to explore this strange place, running from one room to the next, and chattering to each other.

Nyota and Spock unpacked what they would need here in San Francisco, placing the garments in the closets and dresser drawers. And then he lifted the luggage to the shelf above the closets, and closed that cupboard, until they were ready to pack to leave for Africa.

When they had finished unpacking, the two children came and wrapped themselves around their parents' legs, excited. And Spock led them back down the turbolift, and out into the gardens, to run and play and work off their excitement, while he and Nyota sat in the gazebo and relaxed. After lunch and short nap, they would start their shopping, but for now, it was nice to just sit and do nothing, something they almost never had an occasion to do.


	82. Chapter 82:Shopping for Clothes

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-two - Shopping for Clothes**

**Early May, 2273**

When the woman from the kitchens came up to them and asked if they would like noon-meal for the children here in the gardens, Nyota smiled thankfully and accepted. Spock wondered how the kitchen staff would feel in a few days, when there were six more young children running in the gardens, but he managed to suppress his smile at the thought.

When the servers came back out with a tray full of food and drinks, Grayson and Amanda came running. Behind the servers were the two Vulcan men who had carried their luggage into the Embassy, but now they carried a smaller version of the table and chairs at which Spock and Nyota sat. They set them down on one side of the gazebo, and Grayson and Amanda quickly seated themselves, grinning happily. Nyota took two of the small plates stacked on the side of the tray, and filled them with pieces of cheese and fruit, adding some of the small crackers before handing them to Spock, who carried them over to the small table. Then she handed him the two smaller glasses of fruit juice, which he set carefully in the middle of the small table, cautioning the children to be careful.

"I'm surprised that they have a children's table and chairs just waiting." Nyota was filling her own plate.

"I have not seen this before, either." Spock was quiet for a moment, thinking. "It is possible that more of the ambassadors and trade facilitators are traveling with their families now. Perhaps they feel safer when their families are together."

Nyota looked very thoughtful. "I think you could be right. If one had lost one family, it would be very difficult to go off and leave another behind." She shivered slightly, and Spock reached out and touched her hand, soothing. She looked back up at him. "We know that both Sarek and Selek always take their families along when they travel." Spock nodded at her, agreeing.

When the children had finished eating, they brought their plates and glasses back to the big table, handing them to their parents to set back on the now-empty tray. Only a few minutes later, the servers where back to collect the tray, indicating that they would leave the small table and chairs there, for the use of the children. Spock thanked them, saying that they would get much use over the next few days.

And then it was time for shopping. Nyota took the children upstairs, and shooed them into the bathroom, one at a time. Amanda still needed help, but was very proud of her new 'pan-ees' and was very careful not to soil them, unless she got so distracted that she waited too long. After hands and faces were washed, and hair was brushed to neatness, they were ready. Spock lifted the carried out of the closet and settled it down on his shoulders, buckling up the straps, and Nyota lifted Amanda in, fastening her down. Down the turbolift and out across the lobby, into the sunshine. Durra had told Nyota were the best shops were, close around the Embassy, and off they headed, to buy new clothing for the children.

Grayson was astonished at the variety and number of clothing items available. He hardly knew which ones to choose. When he found something he liked, that Mama liked as well, she bought it in four sizes, so that he would have the same shirt to wear for several years. He smiled happily at that idea. Jeans, and tee-shirts, and a bright plaid flannel shirt like Baba's, socks, and briefs, and pajamas - all went onto the counter in a big pile of different colors. He had chosen green, and purple, and red, and orange, as well as a few things in blue. He beamed from ear to ear when it was all wrapped up to carry out.

Next it was Amanda's turn, and she wanted everything! Mama just laughed and helped her to choose, while Baba stood back and just watched, waiting to carry the packages. And then Mama took them into another store - completely filled with toys! Grayson's eyes bugged out. Mama said they could each choose one toy. How could he choose just one? He ranged up and down the aisles at Baba's side, trying to choose. And then he saw it - the perfect toy! It was a set of small figures of StarFleet officers, one in Science blue, one in Engineering Red, and one in Command Gold. Instantly, he grabbed the small box off the shelf and held it out to Baba, whose lips quirked up as he nodded. Yes, Grayson could have that. He clutched it tightly, going back down the aisles, looking for Mama and Amanda.

When he found them, Amanda was clutching a tiny case. Grayson couldn't understand why she had selected a that until she opened it to show him a tiny baby doll sleeping inside, with extra clothing to put on it. Grayson grinned at her, and showed her what he had selected, and she laughed happily at him. Baba took the two items and set them on the counter, and presented his ID chip. The clerk scanned his chip and waved the wand over the two toys, handing them back to the children with a smile.

And then it was time for the shoe store. Grayson had never had his feet measure before and found that it tickled. They left that store with many boxes, tied together, but Baba's shoes had had to be ordered, and would not be ready until the day after tomorrow.

Now they were laden down, and Mama turned and headed back to the Embassy. She would shop for clothing for herself and Baba tomorrow. One of the Embassy personnel would watch the children while the adults shopped. There was no specific day care center, like there was on the Enterprise, but someone would come to their quarters to supervise, and see to the children's lunch if they were not back on time. Grayson was curious to see what a Vulcan babysitter was like - nothing like Pavel, he was sure.

They had time to run in the gardens again before supper, which they had in their quarters. And then they got to wear new pajamas to bed. Amanda had her new doll in her bed tonight, wearing the nightgown that had come with her. And Grayson had his three officers, playing with them under the cover until his father stepped into the doorway and told him to go to sleep.


	83. Chapter 83:Here Come the Cousins

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-three - Here Come the Cousins**

**Mid May, 2273**

They had finally finished most of the shopping. The closets in their suite at the Embassy were crowded with new clothing. And as much of the clothing purchased for the children was in sizes to fit them over the next few years, it was time to prepare a shipment to the Enterprise. Spock had gone to procure the necessary container, while Nyota sat in the gazebo with her knitting, watching her children play in the gardens. Amanda was going from one flower to another, bending over to sniff for fragrance, while Grayson was industriously looking under every plant in search of bugs. It was a lovely, lazy morning, and only Nyota and Spock knew just how exciting it was about to get.

***

Grayson had progressed down one of the garden paths until he was almost to the tall glass wall that separated the Embassy lobby from the gardens when something in the lobby caught his eye. He went running up to the glass and plastered himself against it, grinning wildly. He began to wave his arms and yell. "Cousins!" Amanda, hearing him shout, jumped up and ran to his side, looking out into the lobby. There, coming slowly across from the door on the side where they had entered only a few days ago, was sa'mekh'al Sarek, toz'ot'al Selek, and their families!

Nyota heard her children's excited exclamations and laid down her knitting, walking down the garden path until she came to her children, jumping up and down and waving their arms. There, in the middle of the lobby, four young boys were staring back, excitement etched on their faces, tugging on their parents' hands. The four adults turned their heads and saw the three standing there in the garden. Forward progress ceased. The two men conferred briefly, and the direction of the party changed, heading for the large door into the gardens. As they approached, Nyota grasped the hands of her children, cautioning them to be quiet when the door opened.

Sarek opened the large door and stepped into the gardens, holding the door for the two women, each carrying a small girl, and the four boys to step through. When Selek came through, Sarek released the door. The five boys stood looking at each other. Grayson's face was blooming, a smile wide across it. The other four twitched and looked at their parents, waiting for permission. When both Sarek and Selek nodded, their lips quirked up, the four boys took off toward Grayson, smiles coming out on their faces as well. In only an instant, there was a knot of boys, hugging and yelling at each other. And then Grayson led them off down one of the paths, to show them some secret. The adults stood and shook their heads and smiled at each other. Nyota reached out and hugged first Durra, and then Elinor, and indicated the way to the gazebo, where there where chairs and shade.

When all were settled in the gazebo, Sarek asked where Spock was, and Nyota explained, adding that he should be back very soon. And just then, she heard Grayson's voice, loudly raised again, calling to his father. Spock came through the large door and strode down the garden path, surrounded immediately by small boys. He arrived in the gazebo with boys hanging from both arms, his lips quirked up and his eyes dancing. And one of the kitchen staff was coming quickly, with another of the wicker chairs. He had no more than settled down when a tray of drinks was presented, and the query as to noon-meal was made. The women consulted quickly and agreed that the noon-meal should be served here in the gazebo, and the staff left to prepare it.

The adults sat and visited, and supervised the play of the young girls, particularly watching the youngest, who had not yet learned to crawl. The two older girls, one barely toddling, laughed and hugged each other, as though they played together every day. And then they sat, and played with the younger one, making her laugh as well.

With the food came more small chairs, and the cousins lost no time in filing them up. Although 'cousin' was not strictly speaking the correct terminology, it was certainly much simpler than trying to explain the actual intricate relationships to young children.

The mothers filled plates, and the fathers set them on the small table, and then the adults began to eat as well. The smallest girl sat on her mother's lap, content to suck on pieces of fruit and cheese. After they had finished eating, the boys began to race about again, but soon appeared to be slower and slower. Although talk of naps met with much opposition, when the suggestion was made that they could all nap together on Grayson's bed, they were definitely in favor.

Soon the adults were settled in the living area of Spock and Nyota's suite, the small girls all asleep, pillows heaped around the edges of the bed to keep the youngest from rolling off. The boys whispered together a while longer, but eventually drifted off, tired from traveling and the excitement of being together again. Being together with family was very nice, all agreed.


	84. Chapter 84:Cousins Are Fun

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-four - Cousins are Fun**

**Mid May, 2273**

They crept down the path between the flowering shrubs, small objects clutched in their hands. The one in front, taller than the others, made a motion with his hands, and they all flattened down to the ground. When the gardner came around the corner, his hands full of tools, they all lunged at him, screaming "Tlingansu!" The poor gardner, in shock, dropped his tools and fled. When he reached the gazebo, he stopped and bowed low before the six adults seated there.

"The small boys...they believe I am a Tlingansu. I have done nothing to them. Please, sirs…" His voice tapered off as the three men before him sighed in unison.

The eldest of the three men rose and nodded at him. "We understand that it is not your fault. We shall speak with them."

The gardner paused, trying to phrase his reply. "Please, osu, do not be too harsh with them. It is good to see the small ones, so lively and...creative." His voice dropped. "It does my heart good, osu."

A kind hand rested lightly on the gardner's shoulder for a brief moment. "We will not be too harsh with them. We will, however, caution them about disturbing the work of another."

The gardner nodded, and returned to the path where he had been assaulted, picking up his dropped tools and resuming his work. And the three men walked the garden paths, looking for the five small boys who were hiding under the drooping branches of a flowering shrub.

***

When the mothers went looking, later that morning, they found their sons, excavating a large hole in the middle of the compost pile. As one, they raised horrified voices and tugged their sons up by the tips of their pointed ears, marching them through the corridors to the quarters with the largest bathtub. All five boys found themselves being thoroughly scrubbed, while their mothers informed them in no uncertain terms of what would happen if they tried that again. The boys looked at each other and grinned. The mothers sighed.

***

Somehow, the five small boys had gotten into the armory. Why there was such a large collection of ancient weaponry there, there was no explanation for. Nor how the five small boys managed to get in, carry off as much as they could load their arms with, and leave again, without being seen or heard by anyone. The first evidence of their escapade was the bristle of arrows in the very expensive hand-applied wooden parquet wall of the dining room. The second evidence was the much hacked banister on the short stairway into the large ballroom on the second floor. The third evidence, and the one that was their ultimate downfall, was the path of desolation they had created in the garden. They were found, seated in a circle, worn out from their exertions, still clutching their purloined weapons, by three very aggrieved fathers. When the tall shadows fell on them, they looked up, and as one, cringed down as small as possible, looking at each other in chagrin. "Uh, oh."

"Uh, oh, indeed. Come, you have much repair work to do. And apologies to offer."

There would be no more unsupervised play at the Embassy.

_______

Tlingansu = Kliingon

Osu = sir


	85. Chapter 85:Being Watched is a Drag

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-five - Being Watched is a Drag**

**Mid May, 2273**

They sat in a row against the wall in the room they had been exiled to, watched by a stern young Vulcan male. Their parents were out doing something, their sisters were in another place altogether, being watched by an older Vulcan woman, and here they sat, with nothing to do except stare at their jailer. This was not fun. Not at all.

Senek, the oldest of the five boys at just past eight, touched his cousin Sapok, son of Sarek, almost a year younger, lightly on the hand, down near the floor, between their bodies. _Can you hear me?_

Sapok did not betray by so much as a twitch that anything had happened, however, he replied in the same way. _Yes, I hear you._

Senek now asked him to repeat the question down the line. Sapok asked Smark, Senek's younger brother, the same question, and then relayed the positive answer back to Senek.

Next Smark questioned Grayson, and then Grayson question Srick, Sapok's younger brother, not quite four years old. When all the boys were in contact, the link between them hummed with energy. What could they do now?

At that point, their jailer stood and walked over to the where they sat and knelt before them. "You display great talent for ones so young. However, you have not learned how to shield well yet. I am aware of your contact with each other. Nothing you plot to do can escape my notice." He looked from one startled young face to the next. "Nothing." And then he rose and returned to his seat, continuing to watch them closely.

***

About the time the boys were beginning to fidget from sitting still against the wall, another young Vulcan male entered the room and crossed to the first one, bending down to speak very quietly, glancing now and then at the five boys. The first nodded, and rose, and both men approached the boys, settling down on the floor in front of them, crosslegged. The first one spoke. "It has been decided that the time has come when you should begin to learn meditation. This will be your first lesson."

The five boys looked at each other in astonishment. They had all seen their fathers meditate, and even their mothers, but no one had suggested that they should do so also. As one, they turned eager faces to the two men before them, eager to learn.

When their fathers arrived to spring them from captivity, they were met with the sight of five young boys, seated perfectly, their backs straight, their hands laying on their knees, eyes closed, minds drifting quietly.

When the boys rose gently from their meditation, it was to discover their fathers, seated in front of them instead of the two teachers, watching their sons in delight.

_____

Author's Note: Here is a list of the cousins:

Senek, son of Selek and Durra, born very early 2265

Sapok, son of Sarek and Elinor, born late 2265

Smark, son of Selek and Durra, born late 2267

Grayson Kafeel, son of Spock and Nyota, born 16 Aug 2268

Srick, son of Sarek and Elinor, born 2269

Amanda Damisi, daughter of Spock and Nyota, born 12 Jun 2271

T'Ama, daughter of Selek and Durra, born early 2272

T'Elia, daughter of Sarek and Elinor, born 2275


	86. Chapter 86:Structured Exercise

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-six - Structured Exercise**

**Mid May, 2273**

After the morning meal, the five boys were led off, and presented to the gardening staff. They spent the morning running errands, fetching tools, carrying heavy bags of compost, digging trenches, spreading seeds, clipping shrubs, and whatever else they were asked to do. They dared not complain - much of the work they were doing was to repair the damages they had caused. But they were very glad when it was time for noon-meal, and they were returned to their parents' care.

***

The five small boys sat at the small table in the gazebo, the remains of their lunch before them. They looked from one to the other, wondering what the afternoon would bring. They had not long to wait, before the two Vulcan men who had watched them the day before appeared again. They were led back to the room where they had received their meditation lesson, and guided through another session. And when that was finished, the first young male stood before them.

"It appears that the five of you are possessed of far too much energy. Therefore, we will provide you with an outlet for this energy. Your training in suus mahna will begin now."

The boys looked from one to another and wide grins spread over their faces. The older boys had actually had some training from their fathers, but soon realized that this had been slowed down for them, as the pace set by their two watchers was much faster. But as they were thrilled by the subject matter, and paid close attention, they progressed well. They were totally unaware that their fathers watched from a hidden vantage point.

***

When they were returned to their families for the evening meal, they were full of enthusiasm, talking non-stop about the activities of the afternoon. But they were far too tired for any more mischief, that day or any other, until the end of their stay at the Embassy.

_____

Author's Note: I made a typo in the last chapter! T'Elia was born in late 2272, NOT in 2275! Sorry about that.


	87. Chapter 87:Girls Go Shopping

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-seven - Girls Go Shopping**

**Mid May, 2273**

The three women sat in the living area of the quarters assigned to Spock and Nyota, watching their daughters, who were seated on the floor. The two younger girls were watching fascinated as Amanda removed the nightgown her baby doll had been wearing and placed it in the small case. Then she took out a dress, and socks, and shoes. She managed to get the dress and socks on the dolls, but could not manage the small shoes. She rose from the floor and carried the doll and the shoes to her mother for help. The two younger girls immediately began to fuss. Nyota fastened the shoes on the doll and handed it back to Amanda, who quickly went to sit between her two cousins again. Durra and Elinor looked at each other, and then at Nyota.

"Where did you buy that doll?"

Nyota grinned. "I can show you."

"Shopping trip!"

Immediately they began to gather up their daughters and prepare them for the outing. When Nyota reached into the closet and pulled out the baby carrier, both the other women looked on in interest. Amanda came running. Nyota slipped into the carrier, and adjusted the straps, then knelt down. Durra lifted Amanda and seated her in the carrier, buckling the straps she found inside. Nyota straightened up, and Amanda laughed happily, knowing they were going somewhere. Durra looked at Elinor and they both looked at Nyota.

"And where can we buy one of those?"

Nyota grinned. "First stop, buy baby carriers." The other two women grinned back.

***

Half an hour later, the three women walked down the sidewalk, each wearing a baby carrier containing a small girl. All three girls laughed happily, grinning at each other behind their mothers' backs. And when they entered the toy store, Amanda wiggled and clapped her hands. Nyota quickly found the counter where the dolls were, and the three women looked over the assortment available. Each of the others choose a doll with a different hair color from the one that Amanda had, and with different colored clothing, as well, so that there would be no arguments over who owned what.

And then Elinor spotted something else. "Look at these!" She pointed to the small wicker cradles, just the right size for the baby dolls.

Durra looked at them. "Oh, those are nice. And they have mattresses in them, too. But no blankets."

Nyota looked thoughtful. "I could knit blankets for them. It wouldn't take long. But I don't have any yarn with me."

Durra looked at her. "Oh, yes, you got Mama's yarn box, didn't you?"

Nyota nodded. Elinor looked thoughtful. "Surely there is somewhere close where we could buy yarn?"

They proceeded to the checkout with the two new dolls, and three wicker cradles. After their purchases were bagged up, Nyota asked the clerk about buying yarn. "Well, there's a big handcrafts store just down the block. I'll bet they have some. They certainly have everything else!"

They thanked the clerk and headed back to the sidewalk, finding the handcrafts store easily. Inside, they stopped only a few feet from the doors and looked around, astonished. Nyota grabbed one of the small carts lined up there, and waved her arm from one side of the store to the other. "Let's look at everything!"

The other two grinned widely, and they started out. Into the cart went coloring books and crayons, sidewalk chalk, colorful bandanas, baseball caps, and many other things. And then they found the yarn. Nyota identified the fine yarn necessary for such small things and they chose rose pink, and peach, and bright yellow. And then Elinor held up a booklet she had found in the pattern rack, showing the very small baby doll that they had just purchased on the cover. Inside were patterns for all sorts of small garments. And they used the exact yarn that they had just added to the cart. Back to the yarn display they went, and added more colors. And then they found darning needles, and narrow ribbon, and small artificial flowers, and all the other trims that the pattern book showed, and added them to the cart as well. They left that store with three large bags of loot.

***

When they returned to the Embassy, shortly before noon-meal, it was to find three bewildered husbands, unsure of what had happened to them. Spock looked at Nyota and raised one eyebrow. "Did you leave anything in the store?" The other two men tried to pretend that they had not heard that question, but they were not successful, their eyes shining with amusement. And then they insisted on trying on the new baby carriers themselves, much to the delight of their daughters, who found their father's pointed ears at close hand to be much too enticing to ignore. It required intercession from their mothers to extricate their fathers from their clutches.


	88. Chapter 88:Getting Ready to go to Africa

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-eight - Getting Ready to go to Africa**

**Late May, 2273**

In the three suites assigned to the S'chn T'gai families, preparations for traveling to Africa were underway. Items purchased for shipment to the Enterprise were packed in the special containers, stacked near the door, and Spock was currently occupied in affixing the correct shipping labels. In the other two suites, items purchased for shipment to New Vulcan were likewise packed and stacked.

There were many items still in short supply on New Vulcan, and others which simply were not available at all, and Durra and Elinor always made use of their time on Earth to shop. And only yesterday afternoon, the three women had left all the children with the men and gone on their own shopping trip, spending hours in stores such as Victoria's Secret, buying items found nowhere else. They had returned to the Embassy laden down with bags, the contents of which they had refused to show the men, who only smiled their tiny Vulcan smiles, content to wait for the private fashion show sure to occur in their bedrooms late in the evening. Most of the contents of those bags were now safely packed away in those containers stacked near the doors, still unseen.

The men lifted duffels down from closet shelves and set them on tables for the women, who carefully packed all the clothing they thought would be needed in Africa. What was left was looked at closely, determinations being made as to whether these items should be packed as well, or set aside for another box to be shipped. When all that was left was the clothing to be worn the next day, sleepwear for tonight, toiletry items, and toys, the women ceased their work and proclaimed it time to walk in a park.

The men donned the baby carriers, laughing daughters were set inside and buckled up, and the lively boys corralled with stern orders to hold the hand of one of their parents. And the three families set off, walking down the sidewalks in the bright sunshine. It was only a few blocks to the park that Durra had told the other women about, and once there, the boys were released to run to their hearts' delight. They whooped and yelled and raced about, over the rolling green grass, around the towering trees, under the flowing shrubs. Their parents watched, wondering where they got all that energy. Amanda was set down to run as well, but could not keep up with the older boys. She soon came back to the bench where her parents sat with the other adults, to play with her younger cousins on the ground before them. She found small flowers in the grass and showed her cousins how to pick them.

Durra and Selek rose and walked across the grass toward the stone wall, standing close together, looking down to the sparkling water far below. He laid his hand on her shoulder, pulling her close to him, and they shared their memories of other days in this park. And then they turned, and watched their sons running joyously across the grass, while their daughter laughed and threw small flowers gaily in the air. Their content hummed about them, filling them completely.

Sarek sat on the bench beside Elinor and looked about. "Has this park been here the whole time and I never knew about it? All the times I wished to find someplace close to the Embassy where I could go and walk and think, this was right here?" He shook his head. Elinor leaned over and touched his hand, soothing. He looked at her, and quirked his lips up. "But then there would not have been as many hoverbike rides." She grinned at him, then, and almost, he grinned back.

Nyota leaned against Spock, whispering in his ear. "Next year, another son." She felt his response, his quick indrawn breath, the warmth surging down the link, and she smiled. His arm slipped around her waist, holding, treasuring, while they watched their son run with his cousins, their daughter happy picking flowers with her cousins. Life was good.


	89. Chapter 89:Bibi and Babu

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Eighty-nine - Bibi and Babu**

**Late May, 2273**

In the early morning light, the luggage was picked up from the family suites by the strong young Vulcan males who had assisted in the care of the boys. The girls were in the baby carriers again, riding on their fathers' backs, while the boys held their mothers' hands, behaving well after having been sternly spoken to. They all knew that they must behave while traveling. They rode down in the turbolifts, and congregated in the lobby, then proceed to the shuttle landing site in a group. The pilot and navigator were already there, and the luggage was loaded in quickly, while the families settled in, parents fastening the webbing about the children. The baby carriers were added to the cargo, stashed inside a large webbed mesh, and everything was ready. The pilot pulled up the stairs, gave a quick check to be sure everyone was constrained, and seated himself, starting up the engines.

The small boys had all been seated next to windows, and watched with round eyes as they lifted off the ground. There were many wondrous exclamations as the small craft rose steadily into the air, soon high enough that one could see for many miles. And then they were out of the light and into the dark, and the Earth was round beneath them. Five small faces were glued to windows, and there was not the slightest chance that there would be any mischief on this flight.

The small girls sat quietly in their seats and hugged their baby dolls, and the women talked quietly beside them, Nyota with her knitting needles flashing, while Durra and Elinor had the bag of trims and fasteners, and were using the darning needles to sew small seams. They had a good assembly line going and soon the little dolls would have some new clothing.

The men were discussing something political with great interest and barely noticed the time passing, until the descent started. There was a short period of activity then, as the women put up the knitting, and gathered the remnants of the snack the children had had, washing hands and faces. And then they were coming down, and the boys were calling eagerly about the things they saw, and then low enough that there was dust in the air. And then they were on the ground.

The pilot came, and lowered the stairs, and then the parents began to release the boys, cautioning them not to leave the shuttle on their own. But there, at the doorway, were two ecstatic people, calling out, and Grayson and Amanda came running. "Bibi! Babu!" and they were gathered up and hugged and set on the ground, the eager arms then reaching up for the other children. While the adults concentrated on getting everything out of the shuttle, Alhamisi and M'Umbha delighted in gathering all the children and heading for the house. The pilot and navigator assisted in handing out the luggage, and the three tall Vulcan men carried it into the house, delighting the the warmth of the sun, here in Africa.

Inside, they found the children seated around the low table in the living area, napkins tied around their necks, bowls of fresh fruit salad in front of them. And then it was time for the hugging and laughing and exclamations of joy in seeing one another again. The three tall men stood back and tried to pretend that they wanted no part of this display, but one after another, they found themselves included. Sarek was the last hold-out, but he had no defense when M'Umbha enveloped him in a big hug, whispering at him that she loved him as much as the others.

Alhamisi rescued the men by stating that he would show them where to put the luggage and they headed upstairs. Spock went straight for Nyota's old bedroom, and Alhamisi showed the other two which rooms to use. They returned downstairs to find a general hand-and-face-washing session in progress. And then it was time to show the children the large yard, and watch them explore. The adults sat on the wide porch, sipping cold fruit juice and watched the boys discover bugs, while the girls toddled under the drooping branches of a flowering shrub, happy as could be.

M'Umbha turned to her daughter. "Tomorrow, all the cousins will come. The yard will be completely filled with children."

"Oh, Mama, you have no idea how excited they will be! Please don't tell them, or none of them will sleep tonight!" Durra and Elinor jumped in quickly to agree with her, and M'Umbha giggled like a girl.

"Oh, I can hardly wait to see their faces when all the other children show up. What a sight that will be!"

Just then, Grayson came running, something clutched in his hands. He stopped quickly before his father, who bent down to peek into the cavity formed by his son's hands. "Look, look, Baba! See how bright it is!"

All three men exclaimed over the beetle Grayson had found, and Alhamisi looked too, then told Grayson the name of it. Grayson went running back to his cousins, telling them the name of the beetle. Soon they each had something to share, running back and forth constantly, amazed at each new discovery.

Sarek sat there, amused. They were having a lesson and were not even aware of it. Later, back on New Vulcan, he would have to remember to assign research, so that the boys would learn more about these beetles and the environment they came from. It would be an interesting lesson for them.

Selek watched his wife, chatting animatedly with her brother and his wife. She did not get to see them often enough, he was aware of that. He would have to remember to schedule more trips to Africa when they were on Earth. And then his young daughter struggled up the stairs, to bring him a handful of flowers filched from the shrubs in the yard, and he gravely thanked her, holding the wilting blooms in his hands as she grinned widely at him. Durra reached over and plucked one from his hand and threaded it behind his ear, the bloom nodding against the side of his cheek. He raised one eyebrow at her, and her mirth bubbled over, her dimple flashing out at him. His eyes danced at her, and he proceeded to decorate her hair with the remaining flowers, to the delight of his daughter, who laughed and clapped her hands. The other adults struggled to contain their mirth, even Sarek's eyes dancing with quiet laughter.

At some point, the women disappeared into the kitchen, and then the enticing smells of cooking wafted out. Spock's nose twitched and he turned his head toward the open door, just as Selek lifted his head and spoke. "Nachos?" The two men struggled not to smile, and Sarek's brow lifted. What were nachos? Apparently something good. He soon discovered just how good, while the women laughed to see the entire platter disappear very quickly. The children were served their supper in the yard, leaving very little for the women to clean up.

They sat on the porch until the stars were shining in the sky, watching the children play until they were so tired they did not complain in the least at being led into the house and put to bed. It had been a good day.


	90. Chapter 90:More Cousins

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety - More Cousins!**

**Late May, 2273**

The first to arrive tiptoed in before the sun was quite up, spreading their sleeping bags against the wall in the living room and settling down for another hour or so of sleep before the house awoke.

By the time M'Umbha came out of her bedroom, ready to go down and start breakfast, all of Nyota's sisters were clustered by the doors to the bedrooms where they knew the children would be sleeping, peeping through the barely cracked-open doors, whispering excitedly. M'Umbha snuck up on them, and pinched their bottoms, making them clap their hands over their mouths to keep from shrieking and waking the sleeping children up. "Close those doors." she whispered. "And come downstairs and help me with breakfast."

Once they were downstairs, she added. "Just wait until they all wake up. You will not believe how much noise those children can make." Her daughters just looked at her and laughed. The yard was already full of children of all sizes. They weren't entirely sure how the children had not already been awakened.

By the time the fruit was cut up, and the porridge hot and the bread warmed, Durra was at the top of the stairs with her daughter in her arms and her sons hanging on to her dress. "Hey, there nieces, I need some help."

They came running immediately, each one taking a child, and chattering happily. Durra entered the kitchen and started pulling the tableware out, stacking it on the table set up to serve from. She looked up just as one of Nyota's sisters opened the door and showed her sons all the children in the yard. She saw the incredulous look on his face, and then he was squirming vigorously, wanting down and outside. She laughed and said to let them out, and both boys went running into the yard. She went to the door to watch, and felt Selek's amusement. He was watching out the upstairs window.

It was only a few minutes later that Elinor came down the stairs with her children. Her boys, once they had been hugged and kissed until they were embarrassed, also ran out into the yard to play. Her daughter got passed around the room and tickled until she giggled and squealed. Sarek passed through the kitchen on his way to the porch, where he sat and watched all the children, amazed. Selek came and joined him, having gone out the front to avoid the crowd in the kitchen.

Nyota and Spock were the last ones down, and got teased unmercifully because of it. But Grayson ran straight out the door, hearing the shouts in the yard. He stopped short on the porch, eyes wide, when he saw the number of children. He had never seen that many children at once before. When he spotted his cousins, he darted right out after them, yelling as loud as anyone there. Amanda was content for the moment to stay in the kitchen with her aunts and female cousins.

Breakfast was served buffet style, and the children all ate in the yard, dropping crumbs everywhere. Thankfully the birds and bugs would clean them up. The men sat on the porch, in the swings, the rockers, and on the steps, talking and watching the children. And the women settled down around the large kitchen table, chatting non-stop until it was time to start lunch.

With so many hands to help, it took no time at all to prepare enough sandwiches and salads to feed the whole crew - and the crew was large. After lunch, the mothers worked at persuading the younger children to take naps, but it was a lost cause. They were far too excited to want to go to sleep. However, eventually, Amanda came and crawled up into her father's lap, drifting off with his arm around her. It wasn't long before the other men had their daughters on their laps as well. None of them objected in the least.

***

After supper, the music started. One instrument after another came out of hiding, and the voices wove together beautifully. Nyota leaned against Spock and joined in, Amanda coming to sit beside her, listening and watching. Nyota picked her up, and sat her on her lap, singing just to her and Amanda grinned widely, clasping her hands together and swaying to the music. And then the dancing started. Grayson was amazed to see his parents in the middle of the yard, Mama with her arms in the air, body swaying, while Baba stomped and lunged around her. And there was Aunt Durra, as well, dancing next to Mama, but toz'ot'al Selek was still on the porch. When Bibi and Babu joined the dancing, Grayson could hold back no longer. He ran out into the yard and began to follow his father, trying hard to do everything that he did. Nyota saw him and began to giggle, and Spock looked down and one long eyebrow raised high. Grayson looked up and grinned, so excited. And then Amanda was there as well, trying hard to hold her arms up, laughing loudly with joy.

It was very late when all the children were carried up to bed, so tired that they could no longer keep their eyes open. And this was only the first day that all the cousins would be there!


	91. Chapter 91:Family, Family Everywhere

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-one - Family, Family Everywhere**

**Late May, 2273**

Grayson stood at the top of the stairs and looked down. The house was full of people and Mama said they were all his relatives. More family than he had had any idea existed. Aunts and uncles and cousins galore. He hardly knew where to begin to count them. Amanda came up behind him, and clasped his hand. "Who are they all, Grayson?"

"They are family."

"Oh. Our family?"

"Yes, Mama's family. Like Sarek and Selek are Baba's family."

"Mama has a big family." Amanda's eyes were huge.

Grayson laughed. "A very big family." He looked down at his younger sister. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Yes, I'm hungry. But there are so many people down there."

"They won't hurt you, Amanda. They're family."

She grinned then. Hand in hand, they descended in the noise, making their way into the kitchen, where helping hands provided them with plates piled with food. Carefully they made their way out the door, onto the porch, where Babu sat in the big swing.

Alhamisi rose and helped his two youngest grandchildren sit down on the side of the steps, plates in their laps, to eat their breakfast. He lowered himself down to sit beside them, and they asked him questions - about the food on their plates, the other children already playing in the yard, the people that came and went constantly. When their plates were empty, they handed them to him, and darted out into the yard, vanishing into the mill of children already there. He sat on the steps and smiled, happy that they blended in so well. Family was good for children.

***

There was a whole group of boys, crouched down, watching a battle - a furious battle - soldiers were dying left and right. The red ants seemed to be winning. Senek leaned over, watching closely. He had never seen anything like this. His brother Smark held tightly to his hand, not sure that he liked seeing all the ant parts flying through the air. Grayson wiggled in beside them, catching his breath. And then he was captivated as well, his eyes glued to the action. When Sapok and Srick found them, their breath caught, then they gasped, and knelt down, as caught up in the action as all the others. It was not until the last black ant had been vanquished, and the red ones began to retreat into their hill, carrying the slain down with them, that the boys settled back, sighing. It had been a magnificent battle.

***

When the boys began to recite the events of the battle to their sisters, the girls shrieked and fled, leaving the boys grinning at each other. Until they saw the shadows of their fathers falling over them. They looked up, then stood, solemn, while their fathers calmly told them to go apologize. They trudged off, scuffing their feet, while their fathers watched, their eyes twinkling.

***

Some sort of game was going on. Much running and darting about. Chains of children, slinging themselves about. Shrieking and yelling, and laughing. The adults watched, shaking their heads, seeing the scattered flash of pointed ears, mixed in among the round ones.

***

Amanda climbed into her father's lap, tired of being picked up and exclaimed over. "Baba, how many aunts do I have?"

"I do not know the answer to that question, Amanda. Perhaps your mother does."

The little girl sighed. "They all want to pick me up and pinch my cheeks and kiss me."

Spock stifled his laughter. "That's because they are your family, Amanda."

"And family loves one another."

"Yes, that is true."

She sighed and leaned against him. "Can I stay here a while, Baba? I want just our little family for a while, not the big family."

"You may stay as long as you like, my daughter." And he wrapped one arm around her, supporting her, until she spied something so interesting in the yard that she climbed down and went running again.


	92. Chapter 92:Catch Them if You Can

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-two - Catch Them If You Can**

**Early June, 2273**

Today was the day for running. Everywhere anyone looked, there were lines of children, running as fast as they could. And then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, they would all fall down on the ground and lie there, giggling. The adults sat in the shade and talked, and shook their heads.

Grayson saw something different. About a dozen children had linked hands in a long line, and the older child at the head of the line was turning about in a circle. The further down the line a child was, the faster they had to run to keep up. Around and around they went, and then the line flew apart, the children flying everywhere. That looked like fun. As another line formed, Grayson went running to join in. He ran and ran, laughing loudly, until the line cracked and he went flying off, screaming with excitement.

Nyota watched, her eyes dancing with merriment. Spock leaned over her shoulder. "Is there danger of injury? They seem to be moving very fast."

"I played this game many, many times when I was a child, and I don't remember anyone ever getting hurt. Maybe a scraped knee or two, but nothing more serious. And look how he is enjoying it."

"Yes. He is definitely enjoying it. So much so that his sister is attempting to join in."

"No, no, she's too young for that game."

"My thoughts exactly." He strode out into the yard and plucked his daughter up, carrying her back to the porch. She wiggled and struggled wanting down, but he touched her face gently and looked into her eyes, and she quieted.

"But Baba, it looks like so much fun."

"Yes, but those children are much larger than you are. You will not be able to run fast enough to keep up. This game is for older children."

She nodded her head in acceptance and he set her down again, pointing to a group of younger children off to the side. She ran happily in that direction, forgetting the older children running madly in circles. She plunked herself down and watched as one of the children showed the others how to make a chain of the flowers growing in the grass, draping it about her neck when it was finished. In very little time, all of the younger children were draped in flower jewelry, running off to show their parents.

Nyota giggled and hugged her daughter, who danced around, very excited. Spock's lips quirked up, enjoying her gaiety. Their children were getting much from this family gathering. Durra came and sat down on the steps beside them, her daughter in her arms. The little one waved her arms, and babbled, wanting to join the other children. Both women tickled her to distract her, knowing the activities going on the yard would be dangerous to the young one. And then Amanda came running back, to drape a chain of flowers over her cousin's head. T'Ama chortled happily and hugged Amanda, who hugged her back, laughing.

And then it was time for food again. There were enough women there that everyone was not needed to prepare every meal. This time Durra and Nyota had sat it out, relaxing and watching their children play. So they were in charge of the hand-and-face washing, bringing out a pail of water and a stack of wash cloths. The children lined up, and plunged their hands in, one at a time, rubbing their wet hands over their faces. And then they shook themselves dry, laughing. Durra and Nyota got almost as wet as the children did. Spock just sat back with Selek and Sarak and smirked. Elinor wisely avoided the issue by retreating into the kitchen.

After lunch, in order to keep the children quiet for a while, the adults took turns telling stories. Some of the stories were about things they had done as children, and some of them were traditional stories. Even Spock, Selek, and Sarek got pressed into the story telling. The children listened attentively, leaning in to hear, and clapping their hands when something exciting happened. By the time all the stories were finished, the afternoon had begun to cool a bit, and the children were allowed to run and play again.

They were running around the yard when one pointed to the sky. There was a cloud of specks there. Spock looked at it, not understanding, while Nyota clutched his arm. "Oh, watch, watch what's going to happen!" He looked down at her, his eyebrows lifted, then back into the yard.

The cloud swooped down to the ground and became a horde of locusts, with the children running madly after them, trying to catch them. Hopping insects, running children, shrieks of glee, it was a madhouse. Grayson came running up, both hands full of insects, eager to show his father. Sapok and Senek were right behind him. Nyota was laughing and clutching her sides, as was Durra. Elinor was watching in astonishment. The three Vulcan men were hesitant, not understanding exactly what was going on.

Nyota managed to gasp out one sentence. "Baba pays the children for every one they catch, so they don't eat the plants."

Curious, Sarek asked what they were paid with.

Durra grinned widely. "Hugs and kisses."

And sure enough, there was Alhamisi, collecting smashed locusts, and hugging and kissing all the children.


	93. Chapter 93:Decorate Me, Too!

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-three - Decorate Me, Too!**

**Early June, 2273**

Nyota sat with her sisters, doing something. Amanda couldn't tell what it was, but they all seemed so interested in it. And then Aunt Durra came and sat down with them, laughing and holding out her hands, as well. Amanda sidled over to the group and wiggled around until she was under her mother's arm, practically in her lap. What were they doing? What was that red stuff? And then Mama held up one hand, admiring it, laughing, and Amanda gasped. Mama's hand had red patterns all over it. She held up her hands, and Mama lowered her hand, so that Amanda could hold it and look at it. "What is that, Mama?"

"It's henna, baby girl. For decoration. See, I have one hand done, now I'm going to get the other hand done. And then it will be Aunt Durra's turn."

Amanda clung to her mother, fascinated. When she kept trying to climb into her lap, Nyota stopped the sister that was applying the henna, and boosted her daughter up, holding her securely with the arm that was finished. Then she gave her other hand back to her sister. When it was finished, Amanda grabbed it and examined it closely. She watched with wide eyes as Aunt Durra's hands were decorated next.

And then she waved her hands about excitedly. "Me, me next. Decorate me, too!"

All the women laughed. Her aunt looked at her mother, eyes questioning. Nyota looked down at her little girl, waving her hands about. "Okay, okay, but if your Baba wants to know, you have to tell him it was your idea."

Amanda glowed with happiness, and held her hand very, very still while the red liquid was painted on her hands. And then she waved them about wildly, so excited she could not sit still. Nyota put her back on the ground, and Amanda ran straight to her father, laughing and holding her hands out, dancing around the porch. Spock looked at her hands, raising one eyebrow. Nyota felt him, in the back of her mind, surprised. _ It won't hurt her at all, and she's so excited about it. Compliment her, love._

Spock looked down at his daughter again and said something softly, and she threw her arms around him, hugging hard before running off to find her grandparents to show them. All around the house and yard she went, showing everyone her decorations. Such a small thing to do to cause so much joy.


	94. Chapter 94:Party Preparations

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-four - Party Preparations**

**11 June, 2273**

All day long they baked - sweet breads, and cookies, and a HUGE cake, which was then covered with pink and white frosting, before being put into the rapidly filling stasis unit. When it was sitting on the table, waiting for the frosting to set, Amanda watched it with wide eyes. And then she went running to find her brother. "Grayson, come quick! They put words on the cake!"

"Don't be silly, Amanda. They don't put words on cakes."

"Yes, yes, they did! Come and tell me what it says."

Reluctantly, Grayson responded to her tugging and headed for the kitchen. When he read what was there on the cake, he grinned, but he would not tell Amanda what it said.

Angry, she went to look for Senek, but he informed her loftily that he could not read those letters, if in fact they were letters. Sapok was no help, either. And then the cake was whisked into the stasis unit. She stomped out of the kitchen, frustrated and irritated. _ Something_ was written on that cake!

***

In the late afternoon, the men carried all the tables and benches to the yard and set them up, while the children ran around, trying to figure out what was going on. And then they erected the large awning over the tables, to shade them. In the kitchen the women were still cooking - huge bowls of fruit salad, marinated vegetables ready to go on the fire to grill just before eating, sweet potatoes scrubbed and oiled all ready to roast, and every kind of finger food imaginable.

***

After the children were tucked into bed, the other decorations went up, swagged across the doorways, hanging in the windows, tied everywhere, inside and out. And then the adults stood back and admired their handiwork, smiling. Amanda was going to be so very surprised.

And the visitors began to arrive, tiptoeing in and spreading out their sleeping bags all over the downstairs, some on the porch outside, some pitching small tents in the side yard. There would be many, many more people for breakfast than had been there at suppertime.


	95. Chapter 95:The Big Day

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-five - The Big Day**

**12 June, 2273**

Amanda woke up and looked around. What were all those streamers doing hanging from the ceiling? How had they gotten there? She climbed out of bed and went down the hall to the bathroom, and then came back. There, lying on her bed, were brand-new clothes. How had they gotten there? She looked at the soft pink dress, with matching sandals, and the ribbons to tie in her hair, and then she saw the panties, with the rows and rows of ruffles on the bottom. Her little girl heart squealed with joy, and she pulled off her nightgown and began to dress.

She skipped down the stairs, ribbons in hand, headed for the kitchen to find someone to tie them in for her. Halfway down the stairs she halted, her mouth open. The whole downstairs was decorated, and everyone was standing there, waiting for her. As soon as they knew that she had seen them, the air was full of good wishes.

"Happy birthday, Amanda." There was Bibi, holding out her arms. Amanda went running, and Bibi gave her a big hug, and then took the ribbons and tied them in her hair.

"Birthday? It's my birthday?"

"Yes, indeed it is. Now come along and have your breakfast." Bibi took her hand, and led her into the kitchen, and there was Mama, with a big box in her hands. Amanda scrambled up into her chair and Mama set the box in front of her. It was wrapped up in pretty paper, and there was a big bow on top. Baba and Grayson came in from the porch, and Grayson ran over and gave her a hug.

"Open your birthday present, Amanda." Grayson was grinning at her.

Amanda looked at the box. How could she get it open? Grayson pointed to one side, and she looked. Ah, there was a fold in the paper there. She stuck her finger under the fold and pulled, and the paper began to come off the box. She pulled a little more, and the paper tore. Suddenly, she could not wait any longer, and began ripping the tearing the paper while her parents and grandparents laughed at her. And then all the paper was off the box, and she was able to lift the lid off. And there, inside the box was something that made her eyes large with wonder. It was her own little PADD, like the one Grayson had, only this one was pink. She lifted it out of the box and turned to her father. "Do I get lessons now, too?"

"Yes, Amanda. Now you get lessons, too."

She clutched the PADD against her chest, smiling broadly, while her mother cleaned up the mess she had made. And then Bibi was setting her breakfast in front of her and telling her to eat, that there were more surprises in store. She set the new PADD on the table, her hands going back to it now and then, and ate her breakfast, while her family sat around the table and talked.

***

After her hands and face were washed, Mama took her out into the yard. She gasped at the decorations hanging in the trees, and laughed and laughed at the sight of them. And then there were all her cousins, more dressed up today, laughing and singing to her. And there were games - with prizes! When they put the blindfold on her, she was a little scared, and when they spun her around in a circle she felt dizzy, but when the other children laughed and screamed as she tried to find the place where she should stick the thing they had put in her hand, she couldn't help laughing too.

There was a big pink thing hanging from one tree. It was all covered with some sort of ruffles. Babu gave her a long stick and told her to hit it. But she was not tall enough to reach it. Baba went over and did something and then the pink thing came down closer to the ground. She tried again, but the pink thing only swung back and forth. She was not strong enough to break it.

Babu lined up all the children, from the littlest to the biggest, and they all got a turn to hit the pink thing. Grayson hit it hard, and there was a crack in the side, but it did not break. But when it was Senek's turn, he hit it so hard that it flew into many pieces, and candy rained down on the ground. All the children scrabbled about, grabbing candies and yelling. Amanda got three pieces, and then ran to sit in her mother's lap and eat them, watching the other children running about, so excited.

***

Sometime during the morning, the men had built a fire in the firepit, and put the sweet potatoes in to roast. And now the women carried out the bowls of marinated vegetables, and they were spread on wire racks to roast as well. And the long line of people carrying things to the tables started - plates, and glasses, and tableware, breads, and cookies, and fruit salad, and cold spreads to put on bread. So many different kinds of food! The children began to gather round, watching with wide eyes, and were shooed away. It was not time to eat yet.

When all the food was ready, the roasted sweet potatoes piled on platters, the vegetables in big bowls, the children were called from their games to eat. Amanda was escorted to a chair covered with pink streamers, and a pink paper hat was put on her head. She grinned and giggled and everyone sang to her again, and then it was time to eat. Mama was on one side of her, and Baba on the other, and Grayson was between Baba and Babu. Bibi was on the other side of Mama. And everywhere around were cousins and aunts and uncles. Amanda was delighted. And soon she was stuffed. But all the food was so good! She thought she wanted some more, but Mama laughed and said she must save room for the cake.

The Cake! She had almost forgotten that pink and white cake with the words on it! And then, there were Mama's sisters, coming out of the house, with that cake on a big tray, with two candles on top, burning brightly. Amanda laughed and clapped her hands as they set it down in front of her. She took a deep breath and blew hard, and the candles sputtered and went out, grey smoke trailing softly from the wicks. And now she knew what the words must be, because everyone was saying them. "Happy Birthday, Amanda!"

Mama and Bibi cut the big cake up into small pieces and put them on little plates, and they were passed all around the tables until everyone had a piece. And then she got to taste that wonderful cake, and it was delicious! And then she was truly stuffed, unable to even think about eating anything else.

With everyone helping, it did not take long to clear the tables and put the leftover food away. And then it was story time! The adults took turns telling stories, while the children listened, reacting in astonishment, or laughter, or suspense, depending on the story. Some of the smaller children drifted off to sleep in their parent's laps, and even Amanda found it hard to keep her eyes open. Baba picked her up, and settled her against his warm chest, and she closed her eyes, just for a moment.

***

There were more games, and more prizes, much laughter, and when the sun was setting they brought out the leftovers and people ate again. And then the visitors began to leave, hugging everyone, and wishing Amanda Happy Birthday again as they left. It was a very tired, but very happy little girl who got tucked into bed in a new pink nightgown her Bibi had given her. It was too bad birthdays only came once a year!


	96. Chapter 96:Everyone's Exhausted

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-six - Everyone's Exhausted**

**13 June, 2273**

Amanda awoke and looked about, hopeful to see whether there were more decorations this morning. No such luck. She slipped over the edge of the bed and went down the hall to the bathroom, careful not to wake her younger cousins. She went back into the bedroom and put on shorts and a tee-shirt and went down the stairs to find someone to give her something to eat. In the kitchen she found a collection of adults, all sitting still, nursing cups of something steaming hot.

"Good morning!" She announced happily. "I'm hungry." She smiled at everyone, but they didn't respond with much enthusiasm. But Bibi got up and fetched her a bowl of fruit salad and a slice of sweet bread left over from yesterday, and she sat down and ate quickly, wanting to get out in the yard and play.

She found Grayson and her cousins in the yard, chasing after a ball, and joined in, but she could not keep up with the older, faster boys. So she sat in the shade of one of the flowering bushes, and made flower chains to decorate herself with.

All morning, people packed up and left, hugging everyone and saying how nice it had been to get together. By lunchtime, there were not nearly so many people there. All the tents were gone. All the sleeping bags were gone. Only Mama's sisters and her brother and their families were still here. In the afternoon, the men worked at taking down the large awning, and stacking most of the tables and benches back against the side of the house. And then they just sat around, talking, for the rest of the day. It wasn't very interesting.

The women sat in the kitchen, around the table. They didn't even cook anything today - all the meals consisted of left-overs! But there wasn't any of that good cake left, only sweet breads and cookies. Even the children's games were not as active today. And no one complained when Bibi said it was nap time. They just curled up, wherever they were, and fell asleep.

After supper, Babu built another fire in the firepit, and everyone sat around it, while people took turns telling stories. Amanda sat in her father's lap, and tried to stay awake, but she only lasted through three stories. Grayson came and nestled down between his parents, leaning against his father's warm side, and lasted through six stories.

It seemed that everyone was just exhausted from all the activity of the preceding days. A day of rest was what they all had needed.


	97. Chapter 97:Bye Bye Cousins

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-seven - Bye Bye Cousins**

**16 June, 2273**

Amanda stood on the porch and waved almost continuously as one family of cousins after another packed up and left. At last the yard was empty and there was no more luggage piled on the porch. But then Sarek and Selek and their families came out, and there was the shuttle descending from the sky. She ran over to her Aunt Durra and grabbed her around the knees. "No, no, Aunt Durra, you can't go!"

Durra reached down and patted her grand-niece on the head softly. "We have to go, Amanda. Sarek and Selek have meetings they need to attend. But you will see us again in San Francisco in a few days."

Amanda looked up with tears in her eyes. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Now Mama and Baba and Grayson came out of the house, and everyone was saying goodbye. Bibi and Babu were there as well. The men carried the luggage into the shuttle and stowed it safely, and then came back out. The little boys were in a huddle, arms around each other's shoulders, discussing something in a mix of Vulcan and Standard, with a few words of Kiswahili thrown in now and then. When Sarek said something to them, they straightened up, looked each other in the eyes, and then turned to head toward the shuttle. Amanda ran to her mother, who picked her up, and carried her across the yard.

There was a last flurry of hugs, and tearful goodbyes from the women, and then the other two families were entering the shuttle. Sarek pulled up the stairs behind him, and the door closed. Everyone stood back as the shuttle lifted off from the ground. Amanda laid her head on her mother's shoulder and sniffled.

"Do you miss your cousins already, baby girl?"

"Yes, Mama, I miss them a lot."

Bibi leaned over. "I have a suggestion. Why don't we go in the kitchen and bake some cookies for you to take to them in San Francisco?"

Amanda raised her head and looked from her mother to her grandmother and back again. "I can bake cookies?"

Nyota laughed. "With my help and your Bibi's help, you certainly can."

Amanda's face was wreathed with laughter. "Cookies! Baking Cookies!"

Grayson looked to see what she was laughing about, but he was more interested in the conversation his father and grandfather were having, about the lion that had been seen, threatening local livestock. They were talking about going hunting. Maybe if he was very, very good, they would take him along!


	98. Chapter 98:Goodbye Bibi, Goodbye Babu

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-eight - Goodbye Bibi, Goodbye Babu**

**20 June, 2273**

Amanda and Grayson clung to their grandparents, who hugged them back hard. The shuttle would be here soon to take them back to San Francisco, and then they would only be able to talk to their grandparents on the comlink for several long years. There would be no hugging until they were back on Earth again.

Alhamisi sat in the wooden swing and lifted Grayson up on his lap. M'Umbha sat beside him with Amanda. The swing moved in slow arcs as they sat there, talking quietly. Nyota watched from the doorway, seeing how her children loved her parents. Spock came up behind her and nuzzled the back of her neck softly, one hand resting at her waist. She sighed softly. "They're going to miss them so much."

"Your parents or our children?"

"Both, ashayam, both."

She felt his agreement, then, his cheek resting against the side of her face. They stood there, watching the four on the swing, not wanting to interrupt their decreasing time together. All the luggage was packed and sitting on the porch, waiting. There was nothing to do until the shuttle arrived, in such a short time.

***

When the shuttle dropped out of the sky, kicking up a spray of dirt as it landed, everyone sighed. Alhamisi and M'Umbha set the children on the porch and stood, going to where Spock and Nyota stood. And then Nyota was hugging her parents, trying not to cry. It would be so long before they stood like this again. Alhamisi laid one hand on Spock's shoulder, listening as his son-in-law promised to do everything in his power to protect his family. And then M'Umbha shouldered her way in and hugged Spock hard. His hands slowly went up and patted her back, and she lifted her tear-stained eyes to his face. "We will return. I do promise it."

She nodded and released him, stepping back. The two children were there now, pressing in between the adults, concerned. Nyota reached down and picked Amanda up, cuddling her, and Spock took Grayson's hand. Grayson calmed then, feeling his father's warmth encircling him. The family walked down the stairs, into the yard, as the door to the shuttle opened. Each of the men took one of the duffles and headed for the shuttle. The pilot came out and walked to the porch, retrieving the last of the luggage.

The grandparents helped to settle the children into their seats, and gave everyone a last hug before leaving the shuttle, moving back to the porch, out of the way of the upflung dust of the take-off. And then they sat on the porch, in the swing, holding each other, full of the memories of a house full of small children.

On the shuttle, two small faces watched out the window as the house below them shrunk smaller and smaller, and then turned to their parents for comfort. Amanda pulled on her mother's arm. "Mama, Mama, can we call them when we get to San Francisco? To let them know we are safe?"

Nyota smiled at her. "I think that can be arranged."

Amanda snuggled down, relieved, and soon fell asleep, the heavy throbbing of the engines familiar to her. Grayson talked quietly with his father, about the latest glyphs he was learning. By the time they reached San Francisco, they were all composed again. But they still missed them. Leaving was hard.


	99. Chapter 99:One Last Day in San Francisco

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter Ninety-nine - One Last Day in San Francisco**

**21 June, 2273**

Grayson was so happy to see his cousins again. And they got one last lesson in Suss Mahna and meditation. All five little boys were so well behaved that their task masters were as amazed as two well-schooled Vulcans could be. And at the end of their lesson, all five little boys bowed low and gave their thanks for the lessons. Their task masters stated that they could obtain more instruction each time they were at the Embassy. Five pair of eyes gleamed at that.

***

Amanda and her two female cousins sat on the floor in one corner of the living area where their mothers sat and talked, playing with their dolls, rocking the small cradles, changing their clothing, wrapping them in the small blankets that Nyota had knit, rocking and crooning. They were perfect little mommies. Their mothers watched them and smiled.

***

Three tall Vulcan men walked through the gardens, deep in conversation. They never knew when they would have a chance like this again. So far, the Enterprise had not been assigned to the sector of space where New Vulcan was, and it might never. So these between-mission visits were possibly all that they would ever have, planet side, at least until Spock and Nyota decided to retire from StarFleet. On a few occasions, Sarek and Selek, and less often, their entire families, had traveled on the Enterprise on their way to Earth, but they could not count on this happening. Therefore, they spent as much of the day as possible, talking together. It would have to do. Kaiidth.

***

That evening, the three families dined together in the gazebo for the last time. They had barely finished eating when the small boys saw the head gardner beckoning to them from down the pathway. With a look to their parents for permission, they darted down to him, to see what he wanted. He led them down the pathway, and around a corner, into the far end of the gardens. And there, spread out before them, was a maze, newly planted. The boys' eyes sparkled with excitement. The gardner stood and watched them, thinking of when his own boys had been small, as they entered the maze, speaking rapidly of tactics to each other. By the time it was mostly dark, and their fathers were come to look for them, they were coming back out, full of pride that they had needed no help. The gardner left his post then, nodding to the tall men surrounded by the small boys. There would be other boys who would appreciate this maze of his, he had no doubt.

***

This last time, all the children were gathered together for evening story time. And then they were all tucked into bed, the boys cross-wise on one bed, talking sleepily to each other, the girls in another room, cuddling their dolls. And the adults sat about the table in the living area, talking until almost dawn, reluctant to leave each other, when they knew it might be years until they were gathered together like this again.

_______

Kaiidth = What is, is.


	100. Chapter 100:Home Again

**Baby Book - Phase Two**

**Chapter One Hundred - Home Again**

**22 June, 2273**

Nyota reached for the notice stuck to the door of their quarters. "This says that quarters upgrade is completed. Wonder what they upgraded?"

"May I suggest that we go inside and find out rather than stand in the hall and speculate?"

She turned to him, and over the tops of her children's heads, where they could not see, she stuck her tongue out at him. He raised one eyebrow in return. She punched in the override code and the door swooshed open. She went inside and leaned on the button to hold the door open, while Spock transferred all the luggage from the hall to the inside of their quarters. Their children ran whooping through the place, headed for their playroom, which they hadn't seen in six weeks.

By the time all the luggage was inside, and she had allowed the door to close, Grayson and Amanda were running back. "Mama, Baba, come look and see!"

The parents looked at each other and shrugged, then followed their children into the playroom. The far end of the room had been partitioned off and there was a new door there. Nyota reached out and opened the door and stepped through it, exclaiming immediately. Spock followed her and stood there, stunned.

"Oh, Spock, look! Our very own clothes 'fresher! And a lovely big folding counter! And a rack to hang things on! No more lugging the laundry through the halls." She spun around in a circle, ecstatic.

He looked at her, so happy, and quirked his lips up. "Shall I bring the luggage straight here, then?"

"Oh, yes!"

As soon as he set the first duffel down, she was into it, pulling things out. "Bring me the laundry containers from the closets. I think they'll fit right under this counter. I can use them to sort things."

He did as she asked, sliding the containers under the counter. They fit perfectly, leaving enough room between the top of the container and the bottom of the counter for her to toss things in. A remarkably efficient design. He continued to carry the luggage into the new room until it was all there, and then he brought all the empty hangers from all the bedrooms to her as well.

By that time, she had a stack of items on top of the 'fresher that she pointed to. "You can put those up. And all the shoes, as well." She turned and gave him a quick kiss, and then went back to sorting. On his way across the room, he saw that their children were happily playing with toys that they had grown tired of before their leave.

When she started the 'fresher, the children came running to see what that noise was. They watched, fascinated, through the window on the front, as the clothes tossed and turned, sudsy water hitting the window and making them jump.

In no time at all, the unpacking was finished, the laundry sorted, and new clothing hung up or folded into drawers. Spock took the duffels and collapsed them, stuffing them one inside the other to conserve space. Then he took them and put them in the cupboard over the closet in their bedroom. He sat down at the comlink to check to see whether there were any messages, and almost instantly, both of his children were there.

"We need to call everyone and let them know that we are home safely."

He looked at them and nodded. First they called Africa, and blew kisses to Bibi and Babu. Then they called the Embassy and spoke excitedly to their cousins. And then they demanded that he access the ship's calendar and tell them when the day care center would open, so that they could play with their friends.

They were so excited that they almost forgot that they hadn't eaten dinner yet. When they did remember, the whole family headed for the mess hall. Surely there would be something hot being served. Not only was there macaroni and cheese for the two children, there was a very delighted captain, eager to visit with his two favorite bridge officers.

__________

Author's note: This is the final chapter of this story. The next part of this series will start in about a week.


End file.
